OnlyOneEarth - Android App!

Just a quick post to say that the blog will now be available in Android App form and can be downloaded here:

Only One Earth Android App

More new topics coming soon :)

Rio+20: a conference for making vague promises

Twenty years ago the 1992 Rio Earth Summit helped to form landmark conventions on climate change and biodiversity, while offering commitments on social justice and the eradication of poverty. The summit itself was seen as a key moment in the quest for environmental protection and action, providing a high level of optimism with regard to the future of our natural environment, human welfare, and the ongoing fight against poverty. However, fast-forward twenty years, and the Rio Earth Summit seems to be a shadow of its former self. This time around it seems that more was at stake - but unfortunately less was achieved. The summit was deemed a huge failure by relevant environmental and conservation groups such as Greenpeace and the WWF, with the overall document outcome [termed 'The Future We Want'] being criticised by environmentalists and poverty campaigners.

Since the 1992 summit, global greenhouse gas emissions have increased by around 48%, population has increased by about 1.5 billion, and an astonishing 300 million hectares of forest have been cleared. Meanwhile, despite a reduction in poverty, the development gap remains unchanged and approximately one in six people are malnourished. Therefore, the environmental agenda is now arguably more important than ever before. Despite these issues, leaders from around the globe have seemingly once again failed to produce resolute decisions on a variety of important topics, with sustainable development remaining a theoretical concept resigned to fill pages of the environmental textbooks standing proudly on my bookshelf.

Perhaps a more notable point emerging from much of the summit coverage is the realisation that governments and decision-makers within our political system are now being influenced more than ever by corporations, businesses, and those individuals or groups with significant economic power. This complex political dynamic threatens our capacity for future action, as essentially these actors remain focused on profit and the economic value and results of all decisions. In this setting, effective environmental protection and action just cannot break free. Thus, as ever, economic progress and exploitation takes priority over environmental issues and the protection of the natural environment. However, once again my message will be clear for all politicians and corporations to hear: Our subsistence and development as a species remains dependent on a healthy natural environment. Put more simply, there are only limited amounts of pollution, exploitation, and harmful activities that we can sweep under our global carpet - and at some point our negligence will catch-up with us.

The Guardian - Rio+20

BBC - Rio+20 and corporate power

A quick thought

I recently had a conversation/debate with a good friend that works in the economic sector. We discussed the current economic situation and subsequently moved on towards our views on the environment [and its relative importance at this time]. It was interesting to see how we both held a different outlook when I put forward the idea that fundamentally, the protection of our natural environment should be a primary focus ahead of other factors such as economic growth and development. At this point, our different ideologies became evident. On the one hand, my friend claimed that stability, growth, and development should be prioritised in the current condition, while an improved lifestyle/quality of life should remain the future goal. However, I argued that the economic system as a whole is founded on the use of natural resources [industry, consumer items etc] and that if we continue on our current exploitative pathway, our unsustainable actions would eventually catch up with us. Thus, we should prioritise the environment and seek a more sustainable pathway of development that does not prioritise economic gains. In essence, not biting off the hand that feeds us!

In the end I could not help wondering that the prevailing view of "consumption first - environment second" remains the core ideology in society despite the apparent successes of the contemporary environmental debate. Ultimately, is our capitalist / consumer society really willing to change its ways?

Are you fracking serious?

Fracking is becoming a 'buzz' subject within the environmental realm. Although it seems to have the potential to provide a vast new 'untapped' resource of natural gas [e.g. shale gas and coal bed methane], the associated environmental costs related to this pathway cannot be overlooked. The process itself, often defined as hydraulic fracturing, is a technique of natural gas extraction that is being employed in well drilling. It involves the induced propogation of fractures in sub-ground level rock/shale strata by forcing or injecting water, sands, and chemicals under high pressure. Essentially, this causes fractures to form, in turn allowing natural gas to more freely flow from the well. Ultimately, this can occur through a vertical or horizontal fracking process, with the vertical process being used to extend the life of existing wells, and the horizontal process being utilised to exploit shale deposits containing natural gas that were previously inaccessible by conventional drilling techniques. Either way, it seems both the environment and local communities are feeling the effects of this dirty and unsustainable process.

A range of environmental issues have emerged in relation to fracking, but perhaps the most significant is the seepage of toxic chemicals and methane into groundwater aquifers, which in turn has a detrimental effect on drinking water sources for human consumption. Once again, it seems that politicians and energy departments are focusing on the economic benefits of resource exploitation, and still fail to consider the risks posed to the  natural environment, on which human life depends. Last time I checked - we can't drink bank notes!

Friends of the Earth [Scotland] - fracking

Risks to our food and water

The real story of fracking