MSN Environment Blog

Why I'd still buy imported food

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:29:59 GMT

I'd like to say I wholeheartedly agree with Gordon Ramsay's view that restaurants should be fined if they sell out-of-season fruit and vegetables.

http://environment.uk.msn.com/news/headlines/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8271065

But, it shouldn't be taken as a cue to ban all such food imports.

While restaurants should strive to buy and source locally, (just as I do) there is still a strong ethical argument that we should continue to buy imported fruit and vegetables where they provide trade to developing countries.

For example green beans from Kenya, mostly air freighted into the UK.

I may be in a minority now though because even the Food Ethics Council (usually the voice of ethical reason on these matters) seem to be siding with Ramsay on this one. It's executive director Tom MacMillian has said:

“Eating with the seasons can cut our carbon footprint and many people find it a real pleasure.

"More effective than a ban would be to have a strong, positive government-backed campaign, a clampdown on misleading ‘seasonal’ marketing and policies that mean we meet the high environmental costs of producing food out of season.”

Oil drilling in the South Downs

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:28:10 GMT

Blimey, oil in the picturesque South Downs!

http://environment.uk.msn.com/news/headlines/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8264542

Surely that's not going to help those pushing for it to be given National Park status?

I can just see visitors being very happy with seeing their beautiful woodland view obscured by drilling equipment.

I've put a call into Northern Petroleum Plc to try and find out more about their plans but have yet to hear anything back.

If you want to know more about them this is their website: http://www.northpet.com/. Not much about any potential drilling in the South Downs.

Biofuels - We're in for the long hall

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:35:23 GMT

Despite all the recent negative coverage the message that stuck with me strongest from a biofuels conference this week was that biofuels are here to stay.

Greenpeace and others may want to scrap the RETFO (the mandatory obligation for petrol sold in the UK to include at least 2.5 per cent biofuels) but that's unlikely.

We may not know the exact carbon saving, if at all, we are getting from the various biofuels out there but surely it's better to stick with the technology rather than scrap it?

And maybe just maybe that algae might just deliver the renewable low-carbon fuel we're all waiting for...

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A hello from Tom the new blogger - I've just taken over the environment editor's blog. Il try to be as informative as possible but feel free to disagree.

Small steps towards a carbon deficit

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:54:37 GMT

Readers of MSN have intimated to me that they can be put off the whole notion of reducing their carbon-footprint when faced with a long-list of ideas and initiatives designed to help them. “Where do I start?” was the general tone of the e-mails.

My advice would be don’t try and save the world in one go; begin the process with one or two changes around the house, including recycling household waste, ensuring your property is well insulated and making sure you turn off lights and appliances when they are not in use. Please visit www.wasteconnect.co.uk and type in your postcode to find out the nearest recycling facilities to you.

Encourage yourself with financial gain so that you can benefit personally as well as the world. Take your household electricity reading for 24 hours, then introduce the changes before taking another reading a day later.

Further to this, each household could endeavour to buy UK produce, thereby reducing the need for air and freight transport from all points around the globe. At www.wasteonline.com it is claimed that “a typical basket of 20 everyday grocery items from a supermarket could clock up over 100,000 'food miles' if you include air-freighted goods, such as sugar snap peas from Kenya, Danish bacon or New Zealand apples’. Food transport is a major contributor to greenhouse gases and global warming, so stick to the best of UK-grown seasonal food if you can.

My favourite way to reduce the carbon footprint in our household is to take advantage of seasonal freebies. It’s the perfect solution. You get to wear a ‘green halo’ and enjoy wonderful flavours for free. Right now, rowan (mountain ash) berries are ripe for the picking, but make sure you know which tree to harvest. You will need to move fast as the thrushes have already begun to feast. Check out www.the-tree.org.uk/ to make sure of your ID.

Follow my recipe for rowan syrup and you could easily make enough to keep you going for a year. It is sweet and sour, is delicious on pancakes and ice-cream, outstanding with game and if you add the syrup to gravy, your guests will never leave.

Bleak House Rowan Syrup is made purely from rowan berries and cane brown sugar. Preferably you should use recycled jars, and re-use three plastic bags to collect the berries. Three full standard plastic bags should provide enough for your own use and around 10 standard jars to give away as Christmas presents.

Wash the berries and pick off any stalks. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the fruit through a scalded jelly bag, pair of tights can do the same job. Leave to drip for at least 30 minutes and DO NOT squeeze the bag, the juice will become cloudy; be patient. Use 450g of sugar for every 600ml of juice. Warm the juice and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Simply boil gently until liquid reduces and reaches the required syrupy consistency. You could add apples and lemon juice to the mix. I made one batch this year with brandy. Two things to remember, do not eat rowan berries raw and avoid wild food you are not sure of. Visit www.seanthewood.com for other ideas.

The impact of the floods - a clearer picture

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:18:13 GMT

Two months down the line after the summer floods receded, it is only now that a more comprehensive picture is emerging, of how the wildlife in the affected areas has suffered.

Wildlife Trusts, and many other conservation organisations are still in the process of clearing-up after the devastation, a job which needs to be completed before any assessment of the long-term situation for some of the U.K’s rarest animals can be undertaken, but early estimates are not good.

The bittern, a scare brown heron, which only nests in four areas of the U.K. was virtually wiped out in Suffolk when seven of the nine recorded nests were washed away, and the young birds died in the low temperatures. "It was cold and wet right across the bittern's breeding range," said Mark Avery, the RSPB's director of conservation. "One wet cold weekend dealt a devastating blow to one of Britain's rarest birds."

The snipe, a long-billed wader, with cryptic-brown colouration, has been decimated by up to 50% in some areas; and this in the face of a declining population prior to the floods. Other waders to suffer include the lapwing and redshank.

The grey partridge, a medium-sized gamebird with a distinct orange face, has been hit particularly hard, according to the Game Conservancy Trust.

"The wet summer has been a total wash-out for young partridge chicks struggling for survival and urgent conservation action needs to be taken by all those with a responsibility for managing the British countryside," said Nick Sotherton, head of research at the trust. The grey partridge had already suffered an 86 per cent decline in the past 30 years and was on the brink of extinction in many areas.

The purple heron, a close relative of the common grey heron, was thought to be breeding in this country for the first time at the RSPB’s Minsmere Reserve. The deluge possibly persuaded the birds to migrate back to Southern Europe.

"Purple herons are fantastic birds, one of the more charismatic members of the heron family, and certainly one of the most beautiful," said the RSPB's Graham Madge. "This would have been a new species nesting in Britain and we are extremely disappointed."

Mammals such as the water vole, already much reduced in number because of predation by the non-native American Mink, have also been hit very hard.

Brian Eversham, of the Bedfordshire Wildlife Trust said, "It's because many of the water vole populations are now small and isolated, if they are wiped out in an area, there may well be no other nearby population to re-colonise it."

The one small glimmer of hope for the water vole comes in the shape of Severn Trent's reserve in Gloucester where a population of water voles was introduced in 2005.

Jane Willmott, of the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust said: "The tide mark on the vegetation showed water levels had been about four feet across the reserve, and things didn't look too rosy for our resident water voles with no high ground nearby.

However I found evidence that water voles had been using rafts left on the water for us to check on them. It appears that some of the water voles had used the rafts as their very own Noah's Arks to escape the rising water levels.”

The reduction in small mammals, including voles and mice, has undoubtedly had an adverse effect on owls, especially barn owls, with many tree-hole nests being washed out. The Hawk & Owl Trust have launched an Adopt A Box scheme, check out www.hawkandowltrust.org for details.

One of the most beautiful butterflies, the extremely rare swallowtail, which only breeds on the Norfolk Broads, has had a poor season, not least because the flooding drowned many caterpillars, but also because their main food plant, milk parsley was flattened.

Gloucestershire’s ‘heartland’ nature reserves in the Severn Hams have been left devastated by the floods according Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, which has launched an urgent appeal for funds to help repair the worst of the damage before winter.

Now the floodwater has retreated, the Trust has been able to assess the impact of the flooding in this normally wildlife-rich area, but fear that nothing has survived.

Just as individuals and communities in Gloucestershire are recovering and rebuilding following the worst floods to hit the county in 200 years, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust needs to rebuild and repair the wildlife habitats swept away – but must raise £300,000 to enable birds, mammals and insects to return successfully.

“The people of the Severn Vale don’t deserve to lose their wildlife habitats on top of everything else,” says Dr Gordon McGlone, chief executive of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. “The Severn Hams nature reserves flood most winters, but not like this. The scene is still shocking. Everything’s covered in a filthy brown slime, the ditches choked by debris and the stench of rotting vegetation is overwhelming. But worst of all is the silence. It’s a wasteland. We have a tiny window of opportunity to get the restoration work underway before winter, which is why we’ve launched the appeal so quickly.”

The reserves affected represent a key strategic defence for the wild flora and fauna in the Severn Vale, and include Coombe Hill meadows and canal, Ashleworth Ham, Meerend Thicket, Chaceley Meadow and Mythe Railway.

Already a long-term corporate supporter of the Trust’s work has pledged a substantial amount of the money needed. Grundon Waste Management, an environmentally responsible company, has promised £250,000 over the next three years as long as it remains operational at its local site at Wingmoor Farm. But this still leaves the Trust with more than £30,000 to raise through an urgent Severn Hams Appeal.

If the appeal is successful, one of the first actions will be to appoint a warden to co-ordinate volunteers and contractors in a huge clean up task. Gates, fences and hides will need to be repaired, and rubbish and debris removed. The worst of the rotting vegetation has to be removed urgently so some of the more vulnerable species can return before winter, which is essential if they are to stand a chance of breeding again next year.

Among the species to have fallen victim to the flooding are ground nesting birds such as lapwing, skylark and redshank, which will all have been rearing young. Many 'low scrub nesters' such as chiff chaffs, willow warblers, sedge warblers, passerines and reed buntings will also have been washed away.

“Ultimately our aim is to connect the Severn Hams reserves with adjoining habitats to create one huge wildlife highway stretching the entire length of the Vale,” continues Dr McGlone. “Only then will vulnerable species stand a chance of survival, especially if severe weather events like this happen more frequently due to climate change.”

For further information on the appeal please e-mail info@gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk or to check out your part of the country log on to www.wildlifetrusts.org

If you have any stories or pictures to share about animals in the floods, domestic, farm or wild please e-mail sean.wood@talk21.com

If 'Set-Aside' goes, so will the birds that have benefited

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:52:23 GMT

The rare stone-curlew, one of England’s most elusive birds, has thrived on farmland called 'set-aside', which has also helped declining skylarks, yellowhammers, lapwings and barn owls.

Set-aside – land on which wheat, barley and other food crops cannot be grown – will be scrapped next year but the government has no plans to replicate its benefits despite its 2020 target to reverse farmland bird declines. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn will today (September 3) consider conservationists’ pleas for replacement measures.

Dr Sue Armstrong Brown, the RSPB’s Head of Countryside Conservation, said: “The loss of set-aside with no replacement is about the worst thing that could happen to stone-curlews and other farmland birds, at the worst possible time. More than a quarter of stone-curlew chicks are raised on set-aside and far more skylarks nest on set-aside than on fields with crops. In winter, set-aside becomes a giant bird table for many species including skylarks, corn buntings and linnets.”

All of these birds have government action plans to boost their numbers but none are likely to hit recovery targets if set-aside goes, unless its benefits are reproduced by other means. Set-aside was never intended as a conservation measure but has turned out to be a boon for wildlife. Ten years of work to help stone-curlews, led to the bird hitting its 2010 recovery target of 300 breeding pairs, five years early. The species, one of the UK's strangest looking birds, suffered one of the most spectacular declines of all wildlife after the Second World War because the bare or sparsely covered fields it used for nesting disappeared.

Stone-curlews are about the length of a crow but slimmer, more elegant and with much longer wings. They have long yellow legs and large yellow eyes. They have been known by the vernacular names, thick-kneed bustard, goggle-eyed plover and wailing heath chicken.

The bird used to number more than 1,000 breeding pairs in England before habitats were lost to arable farming and forestry after the Second World War. The bird was found in 23 English counties in the nineteenth century, stretching from the Yorkshire Wolds to Essex to Dorset but by 1985, numbers had dropped to about 160 breeding pairs. Their strongholds now are Wessex – mainly Salisbury Plain and Porton Down – and the Brecklands on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

Set-aside became compulsory in 1992 as part of the Common Agricultural Policy, to reduce Europe's grain mountains.
When set-aside was cut from 15% of farmland to five per cent in 1996, the most recent large-scale change, farmland bird numbers dropped by five per cent. In East Anglia, 80 per cent of linnets spend the winter on set-aside, compared to one per cent on winter cereals.

In France, the little bustard is dependent on set-aside. In Austria, set-aside is important to birds of prey in winter and many farmland birds.

Set-aside has also improved water quality by keeping land next to watercourses free of fertilisers. In this way, it has partly compensated for environmental damage caused by agricultural intensification.

More than 150 farmers and landowners work with the RSPB to help stone-curlews. Some farmers now say that they will be unable to continue that work if set-aside goes.

The UK Bio-diversity Action Plan

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:15:14 GMT

So, the government has decided to add a few animals and plants to the list of 'at risk' British wildlife. That's the good news. The bad news is that in some cases, the action may be too little, too late. Cute pictures of hedgehogs on the national news do not cut the mustard. There needs to be a real will to anything about the present situation, and that means money. Money to finance a major nationwide initiative to protect what is left, and money to invest in tackling the problems which have caused the decline of any particular species in the first instance.

The cuckoo has been placed on the list, but there is perhaps no obvious reason for their decline, except for continued droughts in the Sahara, which they negotiate twice a year during migration, and a shortage of food in their African winter haunts; however, the answer for other species, such as the water vole is much closer to home and involves an alien species, the American mink.

This adaptable, opportunist and indiscriminate hunter, is credited with having wiped out 90% of water voles and has now colonised virtually the whole of the UK after escaping from fur farms at various times during the last century. Some managed to escape when mink coats went out of fashion and fur-farms were neglected, still more gained access to our countryside when their keepers were called up to fight for the British Army, and latterly, many were deliberately released by animal rights activists.

Twenty years ago I discovered their droppings high in the Peak District Hills, at 700 feet above sea level, on the banks of a small stream near my Bleak House home; they contained feathers, scales and fur. In other words, they were preying on brown trout, small birds and mammals, including the scarce water-vole. They may even have some impact on cuckoos which use the nests of ground-nesting birds to lay their eggs in.

Being semi-nomadic, they go where there food is; I was hoping that they would soon clear off, but no such luck. Recently they killed my chickens in broad daylight and although they shot off when I shouted, they came back allowing me to take the pictures seen here.

Of course, I have nothing personal against the mink, it’s a great survivor, but I would certainly like to see the back of it. Teams of pest-controllers need to be employed across the country if anything is to be done about the mink.

In the early eighties, another alien was completely eradicated from Norfolk and East Anglia, the giant coypu. The animal’s habit of undermining the counties dykes and riverbanks ensured an early exit from these shores.

Most 'incomers' or non-native species cause no problems for our native flora and fauna, but others such as the water primrose and Japanese knotweed, from South America and Japan respectively are particularly troublesome. Japanese knotweed, for example, is perhaps the most invasive plant in the world, and has been a particularly difficult hurdle for the 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to overcome, because although it was only found on a small percentage of the total area of the site to be developed, there was no easy way to get rid of it and only time will tell whether they have been successful. During the past 12 months they have dressed the affected area with herbicide, before cutting back the large stems, but so powerful is the Knotweed, the authorities’ best efforts may not be enough, as the plant resists destruction, its roots can penetrate several metres through concrete, and even if buried deep below the ground in landfill sites, it can grow again after laying dormant for many years. The species also causes problems in terms of flood management. It increases the risk of riverbank erosion when the dense growth of the plant dies back in the autumn exposing bare soil. It can also create a flooding hazard if the dead stems are washed into the streams and clog up the channel. A fragment of root as small as 0.8 grams can grow to form a new plant.

The plant brought to England and planted by the Victorians, is now on the government hit list because of the threat it poses to native species, and there are strict conditions about its removal and disposal, with large fines for those who ignore them. The cost of a national eradication programme using current techniques is prohibitively expensive, estimated in the Defra Review of Non-native Species Policy to be in the region of £1.56 billion. However, the Environment Agency does take local measures if flood defences are compromised (using risk assessment and local knowledge).

The Japanese Knotweed is just one of many alien species of plant and animal to have found their way to these shores, some by accident, some by deliberate introduction, and perhaps still others because of warmer weather. In whatever manner that they managed to get here, some have caused untold damage to our native flora and fauna, and if I could press a button now, and they would vanish from these shores for ever, consider it pressed.

North American Ruddy Duck: Defra's European and Non-native Species team oversees the eradication programme of the North American ruddy duck, as a part of the policy to save the European white-headed duck from extinction. Control of the ruddy duck population in Europe is necessary, as cross breeding with this non-native species is a threat to the white-headed duck's long-term survival. For more information please follow the links below:

Grey Squirrels: The grey squirrel was introduced into this country from North America in the 19th century and has spread widely, especially in lowland areas, with a population now estimated at over 2 million. They are regarded as pests by a number of groups because of the damage they cause to woodland. They are largely responsible for the decline of the red squirrel in England because they are stronger and more adaptable than the red and they carry the Squirrelpox virus, which is lethal to red squirrels. More information is available on the following Defra News Release http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2006/wildlife-0123.htm

Signal crayfish: Introduced non-native fish such as Zander and signal crayfish can have direct effects on native species, for example by predation, or can upset the natural ecological balance. Non-native fish can also introduce novel diseases and parasites to which our native populations may have no resistance. In addition to the 1981 Act, further legal controls on the keeping of non-native crayfish were implemented in 1996. In England and Wales, The Prohibition of Keeping of Live Fish (Crayfish) Order 1996 was made as an Order under the Import of Live Fish (England and Wales) Act 1980. See the efishbusiness website and information on non-native fish and crayfish.

Aquatic plants: eg. The water primrose (Ludwigia grandiflora) Ludwigia which is currently unmanageable in France, is an aquatic plant native to South America. It can spread rapidly and the very dense mats which it forms can present a threat to many aquatic species by depriving the submerged plants below of light, causing problems for aquatic invertebrates, clogging waterways and exacerbating flooding risks. It can lead to more algal growth in more static water and crowd out the space needed by fish. It may also provide perches for cormorants and herons, leading to increased predation. In 2006, Defra commissioned the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology to trial methods to eradicate the weed (helped by the Environment Agency). The signs are that as the trial continues the "problem" is diminishing and complete eradication may well be feasible. More information is available on the following Defra Focus story http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/issues/2007/environ-0102.htm

Ring-necked or rose-ringed parakeet: A native of India and sub-Saharan Africa which has been recorded breeding in the wild in Britain for over 30 years. It has built up substantial populations in parts of south-eastern England, with particular increases in population size in the last decade. This species is the most widely introduced parrot species in the world and has also built up substantial populations in continental Europe, particularly in urban areas.

The impact of this species on native species is poorly understood although there has been the suggestion that it may compete for nesting sites with native hole-nesting bird species (e.g. nuthatch). In its native range it is also a serious pest of agriculture, and there is growing evidence of impact on a range of crop species (apples, pears, grapes and other top fruit) in England. As well as the ring-necked parakeet, there are three other species of parakeet that are breeding in the wild in Britain. These are the Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus, Alexandrine Parakeet P. eupatria and Blue-crowned Parakeet Aratinga acutaudata. Despite their large and growing populations there is a dearth of information on the impact and likely future development of parakeet populations in England.

The Audit of Non-native Species in England (2005) reported a total of 2721 non-native species and hybrids present in England, with 1413 species after garden animals, fungi and rarer vascular plants were removed. In a similar survey, the Audit of Alien Species in Scotland (2001) reported 988 non-native species (not including fungi). However, only a small minority of non-native species become invasive, posing a threat to the environment and the economy. The majority of non-native species are beneficial to man e.g. most of our crops and domestic animals. www.nonnativespecies.org

English Nature also completed an exhaustive survey on non-native species which can be seen at http www.english-nature.org.uk/pubs/publication/pdf/662.pdf

Environmental jargon buster

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:48:50 GMT

Defra have recently published the results of a survey, at a cost of £37,000, in which they asked people from all ages and walks of life, how much they understood the concepts and language around eco-systems and the natural environment. They were keen to know, at what level to pitch any press releases or public information, to achieve the best results, in terms of whether they could successfully get their message across to the general public.

So, for starters, do you know what Defra stands for? Department For Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, of course.

Do you know your CFC’s from your VOC’s? Ever been baffled; or just switched off, by the environmental jargon and terminology which is constantly thrown at us by the media these days? The following easy to understand definitions should help.

CFC’s or Chlorofluorocarbons:

Chemical compounds originally developed for use in refrigeration systems, now used widely in industry. When released into the air, via aerosols, venting systems and leaking fridges, for example, these compounds break down and release chlorine, which cause damage to the Earth’s ozone layer.

Ozone Layer:

A layer in the stratosphere that contains a concentration of ozone sufficient to block most ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In the 1980s it was realized that industrial pollutants such as CFCs were damaging the ozone layer and that holes had appeared in it, especially over the Antarctic.

Ozone Holes:

An area of the ozone layer, such as the large area over Antarctica or the smaller area over the North Pole, which periodically becomes depleted of ozone.

Stratosphere:

The layer of atmosphere that lies about 15 to 50 kilometres above the earth's surface. In the stratosphere, the temperature rises with increasing height, which is the opposite of the situation in the lower atmosphere. Ozone occurs in minute quantities throughout the full depth of the atmosphere, but its concentration peaks within the stratosphere at an altitude of about 35 kilometres. This is referred to as the ozone layer.

Ozone:

Ozone is a colourless, odourless reactive gas comprised of three oxygen atoms. It is found naturally in the earth’s stratosphere, where it absorbs the ultraviolet component of incoming solar radiation that could be harmful to life on earth. Principal pollutants involved in these reactions are nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); carbon monoxide (CO) also participates in the reactions to help form ozone. All of these compounds (NOx, VOCs, and CO) are termed ozone precursors. Hot sunny weather with stagnant wind conditions favours ozone formation.

Volatile Organic Compounds:

Organic chemicals all contain the element carbon (C); organic chemicals are the basic chemicals found in living things and in products derived from living things, such as coal, petroleum and refined petroleum products. Many of the organic chemicals we use do not occur in nature, but were synthesized by chemists in laboratories. Volatile chemicals produce vapours readily; at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure, vapours escape easily from volatile liquid chemicals.

Ozone Precursors:

Chemical compounds, such as carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), and nitrogen oxide (NOx), which in the presence of solar radiation react with other chemical compounds to form ozone, mainly in the troposphere.

Carbon monoxide:

A colourless, odourless, poisonous gas, produced by incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including gasoline, oil, and wood. Carbon monoxide is also produced from incomplete combustion of many natural and synthetic products. For instance, cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide. When carbon monoxide gets into the body, the carbon monoxide combines with chemicals in the blood and prevents the blood from bringing oxygen to cells, tissues, and organs.

Methane:

A gas given off by animal waste. It can be used as fuel, but the process to turn it into fuel is very expensive, so this is not done very often. Methane is a greenhouse gas, which means that it contributes to global warming.

Nitrogen Oxide:

The result of photo-chemical reactions of nitric oxide in ambient air; major component of photochemical smog. Product of combustion from transportation and stationary sources and a major contributor to the formation of ozone in the troposphere and to acid deposition.

Photo-chemical:

Natural and artificially emitted hydrocarbons in the presence of oxides of nitrogen undergo photochemical reactions which produce a cloud of toxic chemicals.

Hydrocarbons:

Substances containing only hydrogen and carbon. Fossil fuels are made up of hydrocarbons. Some hydrocarbon compounds are major air pollutants.

Hydrogen:

The lightest, and most abundant element. A hydrogen atom consists of one proton and one electron. A hydrogen nucleus is just a single proton. Hydrogen composes about 75% of the sun but only a tiny fraction of the earth

Proton:

A basic particle in an atom’s nucleus that has a positive electrical charge.

Electron:

A sub-atomic particle carrying a negative charge.

Sub-Atomic Particle:

A body having finite mass and internal structure but negligible dimensions. Any of various units of matter below the size of an atom, including the elementary particles and hadrons.

Hadrons:

Any of a class of subatomic particles that are composed of quarks and take part in the strong interaction.

Quarks:

A quark is one of two currently recognized groups of fundamental particles, which are sub-atomic.

Acid Rain/Deposition:

A complex chemical and atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when emissions of sulphur and nitrogen compounds and other substances are transformed by chemical processes in the atmosphere, often far from the original sources; and then deposited on earth in either wet or dry form. The wet forms, popularly called acid rain can fall to earth as rain, snow, or fog. The dry forms are acidic gases or particulates. Acid rain has been shown to damage, or even to kill trees and other flora.

Global Warming:

A gradual warming of the earth's atmosphere reportedly caused by the burning of fossil fuels and industrial pollutants.

Climate Change:

The term 'climate change' is sometimes used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency, but because the earth's climate is never static, the term is more properly used to imply a significant change from one climatic condition to another. In some cases, 'climate change' has been used synonymously with the term, global warming; scientists however, tend to use the term in the wider sense to also include natural changes in climate.

Carbon Footprint:

A representation of the effect human activities have on the climate in terms of the total amount of greenhouse gasses produced (measured in units of carbon dioxide). The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). In other words: When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. (CO2 is the chemical symbol for carbon dioxide). When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also emitted some quantities of CO2. Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2.

Greenhouse Gasses:

Carbon dioxide is a so called greenhouse gas causing global warming .Other greenhouse gases which might be emitted as a result of your activities are e.g. methane and ozone. These greenhouse gases are normally also taken into account for the carbon footprint. They are converted into the amount of CO2 that would cause the same effects on global warming (this is called equivalent CO2 amount).

Carbon Emissions:

Releases of carbon to the atmosphere as part of compounds that arise from man-made processes such as energy use.

Carbon Off-setting:

The principle behind carbon offsetting is that, the carbon emissions generated through an activity, such as industry, flying or driving, are calculated and someone is then paid for an initiative that reduces carbon dioxide by an equivalent amount. Initiatives that can generate carbon offsets include energy efficiency projects, e.g. installing energy saving technologies in housing developments, such as insulation and double glazing; renewable energy schemes, such as wind farms, or tree planting, which can help to take dioxide out of the atmosphere because trees absorb it.

Some conservation organisations are against off-setting, Friends of the Earth for example, feel that it is not really tackling the issue to pay someone else to plant trees in another location, to compensate for your own production of carbon dioxide. Far better to find ways to reduce your production of Carbon Dioxide in the first place.

Renewable Energy:

Energy obtained from sources that are essentially inexhaustible, unlike, for example, the fossil fuels, of which there is a finite supply. Renewable sources of energy include wood, waste, geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, wave and solar thermal energy.

Geothermal Energy:

Energy that is generated by converting hot water or steam from deep beneath the Earth’s surface into electricity.

Photovoltaic Energy:

Photovoltaic refers to a device (usually a solar panel) which produces free electrons when exposed to light, resulting in the production of an electric current.

Solar Thermal Energy:

The major applications of solar thermal energy at present are heating swimming pools, heating water for domestic use and space heating of buildings. For these purposes, the general practice is to use flat-plate solar energy or evacuated tube collectors with a fixed position.

Solar Power:

Energy from the sun's radiation converted into heat or electricity.

Eco-Friendly:

Activities not harmful to the environment.

Environment:

The environment is the set of circumstances surrounding a person, place or thing.

Ecology:

The study of how organisms interact with each other and their physical environment.

Deforestation:

The removal of forest stands by cutting and burning to provide land for agricultural purposes, residential or industrial building sites, roads, etc., or by harvesting the trees for building materials or fuel. There is concern, not only because trees absorb carbon dioxide, but also because opening roads into pristine forest areas, such as the Amazon, poses a threat to the wildlife and peoples of these areas.

Agricultural Pollution:

Farming wastes, including run-off and leaching of pesticides and fertilizers; erosion and dust from ploughing; improper disposal of animal manure and carcasses, crop residues, and debris.

Agricultural Waste:

Poultry and livestock manure, and residual materials in liquid or solid form generated from the production and marketing of poultry, livestock or fur-bearing animals; also includes grain, vegetable, and fruit harvest residue.

Air Pollution:

The presence of pollutant substances in the air, which interfere with human health or welfare, or produce other harmful environmental effects. Pollutants may include almost any natural or artificial composition of matter capable of being airborne. They may be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, gases, or in combination thereof. Generally, they fall into two main groups; those emitted directly from identifiable sources and those produced in the air by interaction between two or more primary pollutants, or by reaction with normal atmospheric constituents, with or without photo-activation. Exclusive of pollen, fog, and dust, which are of natural origin, about 100 contaminants have been identified.

Biodegradable:

Capable of decomposing under natural conditions. For example, a banana skin will, a plastic bag will not.

Biodiversity:

Refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. For biological diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the biochemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, and genes.

Ecosystems:

The interacting system of a biological community and its non-living environmental surroundings.

Habitat:

The place where a population (e.g. human, animal, plant, micro-organism) lives and its surroundings, both living and non-living.

Global warming - fact or fiction?

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:59:24 GMT

I have to confess that, as yet, I am, not completely convinced by the so called Global Warming phenomenon; true, it can only be for the world's good, if we reduce our 'carbon footprint', by recycling and reducing the amount of rubbish we disgorge into the atmosphere, but are we really at the sharp end of an irreversible disaster?

Yes we are; if you take at face-value the discussions held over the past couple of days (20, 21 & 22 August) at Ny Alesund, Norway, 1,200 km from the North Pole, where it is reported that islands of rock, previously covered by ice and snow, are appearing as if by magic out of the ocean because, the Arctic is getting hotter, (which is not in dispute here, but rather the reasons why) and further, that the resultant melt is causing polar bears to die from exhaustion and starvation, due to the extra effort they need to put in to catch seals, in the shrinking and less stable ice-fields (also not in dispute, as the ice is certainly melting).

No we are not; if one prefers to believe that the cyclical warming and cooling of our planet is the cause, or that, and perhaps more significantly, scientific evidence concerning the carbon soot which wafted across the Arctic during the late Industrial Revolution in Northern Europe and North America, caused similar upturns in temperature at the turn of the 19th Century, when the dark layers of soot allowed the ice and snow to absorb more of the suns heat and thereby melt. Similar deposits have also been identified as the result of forest fires.

The YES camp:

Rocky islands, the size of five-a-side football pitches, have appeared in the cold waters off of Svalbard in Norwegian Arctic Territory and although this is not an entirely new occurrence with similar islands having shown themselves in Greenland and Alaska several years ago, scientists are blaming global warming for the loss of the islands ice and snow blanket.
At a conference yesterday in Nye Alesund, Norwegian Environment Minister, Helen Bjoernoy said: “Snow and ice is melting much faster than was predicted by the UN Climate Panel. Our polar bears and seals are suffering because the sea ice has melted much earlier than usual.”

Polar bear experts say the loss of ice, which is also occurring in other Arctic regions, will devastate the giant white carnivores, thought to number up to 25,000 in almost twenty separate populations.

The most dramatic impact seen so far because of ice-melt may be in western Hudson Bay, Alaska, where sea ice has been breaking up three weeks earlier than it did decades ago. This has resulted in bears spending an extra month on shore with no food, waiting for ice to re-form in the autumn. As a result, the population plunged 13% in 10 years, from 1,100 in 1995 to fewer than 950 in 2004. Forced to hunt over much further distances and to go without food for longer periods, it is thought that many polar bears will become weak and starve, and that some populations could die out.

The UN Climate Panel of over 2,000 scientists claimed in February this year that summer sea ice could reduce dramatically during the coming years and that the warming witnessed in the past few decades was almost certainly down to greenhouse gases caused by fossil fuel use.
Christopher Rapley, of the British Antarctic Survey, advised the conference that, in his opinion some authorities were underestimating the melt, and that it was possible there would be no ice by 2050.
The US National Snow and Ice Data Center have said that, Arctic sea ice has plummeted to the lowest levels ever measured and that it was likely to be as a result of global warming.

The NO camp:

The NO camp at present includes myself and many other sceptics, and as stated earlier, we are not arguing that the Arctic and some other locations are not getting warmer, because they undoubtedly are, and as for the ice, it would be futile to argue that it is not melting. What the NO camp is saying is that we are not convinced that the grand blame-all notion of global warming is the major cause of the rise in temperature. For example, scientists have said that there has been much less cloud cover in the Norwegian Arctic this year. The clouds shield the ice from sun. No cloud means more sun. Which in turn means more ice-melt. Also, if there is less ice cover than usual, that means there is more area of dark water. Dark water does not reflect the sun's rays as ice and snow would, and so becomes warmer.

The non-reflective qualities of a soot-covering, either from industry or forest fires, could also have caused similar ice-melts to the one we are witnessing now. Ice core evidence, from the 18th and 19th centuries shows that carbon, better known as 'soot’, could have had a great impact on ice levels, long before CFC's and ozone were ever dreamed of. And yes, the finger points at man even then, with his Industrial Revolution, or perhaps nature, if one believes that forest fires can be a natural disaster, which they can. Soot can darken the snow and ice, causing it to absorb sunlight, warm up and melt. That, in turn, can add to local climate warming by exposing darker ground which absorbs energy from the sun that the white snow would have reflected.

Ice cores from before about 1850 show most soot came from forest fires. The soot study was undertaken by a team led by Joseph R. McConnell of the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. The researchers carried out an analysis of black carbon levels in ice from Greenland, covering the last 215 years. They found that the older soot samples contained vanillic-acid, an indicator of burning conifer trees. Soot concentrations peaked in 1906-1910 and remained high for decades.

In the highly respected journal 'Science', a group of British researchers forecast that climate warming will slow for about a decade then bound back to record-setting temperatures. That group added new detail to improve the accuracy of complex computer models that calculate changes in weather and climate.
However, models are just that, and predictions made from models, are susceptible to, not only other scientists who have prepared different models, but also to the vagaries and unpredictable nature of Mother Nature herself.

In the early 20th century the Arctic warmed more than anywhere else on Earth, surely if that pace were kept up, we would all be under water now?

The NO camp prefer to look at other factors, such as the El Nino effect in the Pacific Ocean, fluctuations in ocean circulation and ocean temperature differences, and without discounting what 'we' as consumers of the planet may be doing, look to 'natural' reasons for any temperature increases.

As for polar bears, yes, the ice-melt is causing problems, but it must have been the same in the 19th century when soot was the possible cause, and they survived that. It should be noted that, there is a real danger to polar bear populations from poaching, and it is estimated that around 200 bears each year may be shot in the Russian High Arctic.

So, for me, the jury is still out on global warming, where do you stand?

Foot and mouth, botulism and vigilance

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:16:12 GMT

Vigilance should be the watchword at all times with animal and countryside management, it is the only way to avoid shutting the door after the horse has bolted.

While the alarm bells are ringing for the planet, and of course we should all hear them, don't let anyone tell you that there is no hope. Since my last blog concerning the great white shark, I have been in the wild areas of Cork and County Kerry in Southern Ireland. No broadband, no mobile, no people, but oh, the wildlife. No great whites either, but, from the most southerly headland of Cape Clear Island, my friend and I watched minke whales at our leisure, bottle nosed dolphins and a giant basking shark, all prefaced by a feeding frenzy of epic proportions, as hundreds of dagger-billed gannets sliced into the ocean from great heights with hardly a splash. Yes, it is still possible to get lost in the wilderness of our small-isles, and forget for a time at least, the woes of the environment, of which there are plenty, foot and mouth disease, being a prime example.

We were oblivious to the outbreak until last Thursday, (9^th August) when my mobile suddenly picked up a stray signal. The ring-tone, fittingly, the Irish National Anthem, could only just be heard above the thirty scolding choughs, as we cooked a breakfast of freshly caught mackerel; “Sorry, what was that?” I asked my Editor, followed by, “Oh no!” as the penny dropped.

My first thoughts were ones of despair, and the Gothic images of bovine funeral pyres during the last outbreak in the UK were replayed over and over in my mind, and it is only now, safely returned to my Peak District eyrie that, I can attempt to make some sense of what has happened.

Truth is, the facts have been widely reported and I just hope that the outbreak has been contained, however, it is yet one more example of how, as a nation, we should look to our laurels and be scrupulously vigilant, to the point of obsession, with the way we manage the land and our animals. For the latest information from Defra check out www.defra.gov.uk

Last time around, poor husbandry was the popular choice of culprit, and whilst the jury is still out this time, the government has to redouble its efforts to prevent further outbreaks, likewise all farmers, landowners and public health officials.

From a personal viewpoint, I believe that, there are still aspects of countryside management, especially in the wake of BSE and Foot & Mouth, which need sorting out. There are things going on quietly behind the scenes, which do not get reported on, which in my opinion are very worrying.

This it not intended to be 'scaremongering', but rather an observation, also involving cows, which will enable MSN readers to make their own mind up, and perhaps ask a few questions. Questions are good.

To explain: Deep litter broiler houses, i.e. the vast sheds containing thousands of young chickens being fattened up for the supermarket special-offer shelf, have a bedding layer of cut straw, wood shavings or shredded paper. The young birds walk, squawk, defecate and sometimes die, in these 'houses'. If they are very small when they die, then their carcass can fall through with the droppings and dirty bedding, an unholy mix of waste awaiting collection. It is here where the problems start. Some farmers leave the waste in huge piles, which is bad enough on its own and can see scavengers spreading bacteria and possibly disease to other areas of the farm and surrounding countryside, while others spread the dirty-litter as fertiliser across pasture land. Pasture land is grazed by cows, and the putrefying remains of long dead chicks can easily be ingested in the process. “So what?” you may ask. Well, it has been shown, that there is a direct link between using deep litter in this fashion, and bovine botulism. Botulism is virulent and attacks the cows nervous system, resulting in gradual paralysis followed by death.

Botulism is not a notifiable disease, which means that, if a diary farmer for example, discovers some of his cows have the disease, he is not honour bound to report it. 'Why not?' would be my first question.

'Because there is no proven link to show that milk from a cow with botulism can be passed into the human food chain and transmit the disease to man,' has been the answer.

This begs another question, 'if the occurrence of botulism does not have to be reported, then, what is the evidence based on?'

I raised the same questions four years ago, and since that time there has been a year-long study into the whole issue, please visit this site to read the resultant document published in September 2006 and decide for yourself whether the public need more information. www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/botulismincattlereport.pdf

I believe that the litter should be destroyed, and that using it as fertiliser on pasture land should be banned, and that further to this, bovine botulism should be a notifiable disease.

At the outset of my tenure as MSN's Environmental Blogger, I discussed with the Editor, my intention of linking the issues I wrote about in a tiered fashion. Local, national, global. A nation, a village, a tree.

The botulism story gives me the opportunity, not least because one of my readers recently guided me to a pile of dead, so-called vermin and other wild animals, including foxes, hares, crows, ducks, geese and pheasants, only half a mile from Bleak House, my home in the Peak District National Park of North Derbyshire. The stinking pile was the work of a local gamekeeper and his smelly and possibly diseased handiwork was a short distance, as the spore flies, from a very popular public footpath, The Longdendale Trail.

Smelling a rat, to coin a phrase, I contacted Defra and was told that, there is legislation to prevent dead livestock from being left in the countryside, for obvious reasons, but none was in place for dead wild animals. 'What's the difference?' was my question, and, 'Speak to the Environment Agency', was the reply. The latter, then referred me to Defra, but when pushed, conferred with their response, and directed me to my local authority, which, it was claimed, were responsible for such issues of public health.

What's chough? Check out

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/chough/index.asp and find out

Great White Debate

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:23:44 GMT

I'm looking seaward from the remote Cape Clear Island off the coast of County Cork, Southern Ireland, and I'm hoping against hope that, a Great White might pass me by. I've already spotted dolphins by the score, and a number of rare gulls, but no Great White as yet. And as the debate gathers pace, I'll try and put the Great White in its place, and believe me, it is very unlikely that the giant is patrolling the waters off of Cornwall, or anywhere else around the UK.

However, having said that, I wouldn't put my house on it, because these days the most unlikely of creatures have turned up in the most unusual of places. Take Cape Clear, for example, one of the best sites in Europe for rare birds; a magnificent frigate bird was seen flying by a number of years ago, like some deflated hot air balloon, thousands of miles from home; or what about the black browed albatross seemingly lost amidst the gannets of the rocky headlands of Scotland. For over thirty years he was seen, a lonely vigil for a mate which would never come.

More recently a large leatherback turtle was released back into UK waters after turning up exhausted. The sea, like the air, has no borders, and the most northerly confirmed sighting of a Great White was at La Rochelle, France, a mere flick of a dorsal fin for a Great White.

Even so, it is almost certain that the recent sightings were of Porbeagle or Mako sharks, which are both close cousins of the Great White. The photographs of large fins, are most likely those of the giant Basking shark, the second largest fish in the world, and completely harmless.

Coastguards have dismissed the recent sighting and resultant press coverage as, 'utter rubbish' and 'scaremongering'.

Marine biologist and shark expert Douglas Herdson said: "It is very unlikely it was a Great White, because even though sea temperatures and conditions are suitable, and although I'm sure that at sometime in the past three to four thousand years they have been seen, they are now so rare in some of their natural territories it is improbable they would migrate so far."

To conclude, it is not impossible for the Great White to be seen within sight of a Rick Stein Fish Restaurant, but I wouldn't waste too much time waiting for it to appear on the menu.

Great White Shark in Corwnwall - would you go in the water?

Watch the video of the shark

The Barn Owl

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:13:36 GMT

After my recent post on the plight of the UK's wildlife in the worst floods for over sixty years, it has just emerged, from an RSPB ballot that, the barn owl, possibly the most vulnerable bird of prey during prolonged floods, has been voted Britain’s favourite farmland bird.

The barn owl relies almost entirely on small rodents and unlike some other birds of prey, they tend to stay fairly local for their hunting, the floods therefore, could seriously affect the bird. Getting wet is also a problem for the barn owl, especially if food is scarce, because 'getting dry' requires energy, and of course, regular intake of mice and voles is a pre-requisite for the provision of energy.

Numbers of barn owls have dropped from 12,000 pairs in England and Wales in the 1930s to fewer than 4,000 in the late 1990s when the last count took place. Breeding success is thought to have been poor since then.

The conversion of barns and renovation of derelict buildings, and the loss of prey-rich grassland, is thought to be behind the bird’s recent decline. The species also suffered from heavy persecution until the 1950s because it was regarded as an ill omen and pesticide use until the 1960s.

It is the first time a poll has been held to compare the popularity of farmland birds, most of which have suffered heavy losses in the last forty years. The skylark finished a close second to the barn owl; lapwings were third and yellowhammers fourth.

Dr Sue Armstrong Brown, head of Countryside Policy at the RSPB, said: “Farmland birds are popular for their songs, their dramatic courtship displays and, in the case of the barn owl, their stealth, mystery and beauty.

“But they have been declining for some years and we staged the vote as a fun way to draw attention to their plight. Progress has been made through green farming schemes and the work of conservation-minded farmers, but there is still a long way to go before farmland birds are out of trouble.”

Barn Owl Facts:
The barn owl, Tyto alba, is one of seven owls seen in the UK. At 33 to 35 cm long it is slightly smaller than the tawny owl. From a distance, and when caught in car headlights, barn owls can appear entirely white. In fact, their backs and upper wings are honey coloured and grey. The bird has a heart shaped face and long wings.

When hunting, barn owls fly slowly, low over fields. They hover before swooping for mice, voles, shrews and rats. Small birds and bats are caught occasionally. The favourite hunting sites of barn owls are grassland, ditches, riverbanks, railway embankments and roadside verges. They are sometimes seen in the day but most often hunt at night, when they can resemble huge, white moths. They have excellent hearing, for nocturnal hunting.

Adult birds commonly shriek, and make snoring sounds, particularly during courtship. Young birds snore and hiss to call for food.

The male feeds the female during the incubation of between four and seven eggs, which hatch at intervals of two and three days. There are often two broods in a year.

Barn owls are found in lowland Britain and Ireland but are scarce in north-east England, upland Scotland and north-west Ireland. The species breeds throughout western and southern Europe and North Africa. There are other races in southern Asia, Australia and North and South America.

Owls and especially barn owls were associated with long-held superstitions until the 1950s. They would be nailed to barn doors to ward off storms and skinned and pinned to fire screens, possibly to guard against thunder and lightning.

They share the vernacular name ‘screech owl’ with the tawny owl. Other regional names include Ginny Ollit in Yorkshire and Willy Wix in East Anglia.

Old farm buildings are the species’ favourite nesting site but they will also use church towers, ruins, hollow trees and nest boxes.

Flooding and birds

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:33:54 GMT

The RSPB were keen to congratulate MSN today, for breaking the story about the affect of the floods on British wildlife and farming, but when asked about the specific affect on birds, John Clare, head of its press department, said, “We are obviously concerned, but in the face of the ongoing human crisis, we are in the process of gathering evidence. As soon as the facts about our resident birds emerge, we will follow your lead and publish the details at www.rspb.org”

“Truth is, that, it is too early to say yet, just how many birds have been affected by the latest round of floods in England, but what I can say is that, it has been a very bad year already for wading birds such as snipe, curlew, lapwing and redshank. The floods in May and June, quite literally washed away many nests, eggs and fledglings, but we simply do not have the data yet to be completely accurate.”

In his conversation with MSN Environmental Blogger, Sean Wood, John Clare was particularly downbeat about the fate of one the UK's rarest birds, the bittern. In Suffolk alone, one of only a handful of breeding sites in the UK for this rare brown heron, seven of the nine recorded nests this year have been destroyed by the floods of the past three months. For a bird, restricted to around four areas of the country, with a few pairs in Northern Ireland, this is a complete disaster which will take many years to recover from, if they recover at all.

The snipe, a long-billed wader, with cryptic brown colouration, has been decimated by up to 50% in some areas and this in the face of a declining population prior to the floods. The snipe is particularly fond of marshy areas, lagoons and wet pasture. Ironically, the latter, is now a rare habitat, thanks to drainage programmes; these are the same programmes which have seen houses subsequently built on flood plains.

John Clare said: “This might sound crazy in the face of so much water, but we actually need to encourage the reinstatement of wet pasture, not least because these damp areas can act as sponges to soak up flood water before it reaches the towns.”

On a lighter note, there were unusual scenes at the RSPB's Old Moor Reserve in the North of England after a recent downpour. The Warden, who was stranded on his own in the Visitor Centre, the only bit of the Reserve above the water, was soon joined by all manner of mammal refugees, including, squirrels, rabbits, voles, moles, hares, mice and shrews...oh, and rats.