Week 53
It is fitting that I write this final blog of the year as another storm assaults Lakeland[i]. This time it is Storm Gerrit. There is a yellow warning in place, which means I must be on my best behaviour. I have already looked out the torches, charged my power pack, brought in the firewood, checked the fridge, made extra porridge for emergency rations, have moved what I can to higher ground, and am looking nervously at my tall trees as heavy rain and high winds are forecast. I am glad to have staked my transplanted saplings some days ago, and that the stakes are orientated north-east, as Storm Gerrit is incoming from the prevailing south-west. I am as ready as I can be.
Gerrit is a Dutch male name that means “brave with the spear”[ii]. Sadly, I have no spear to hand so must rely on bravery and preparation. To reach the letter “G” by December, in the alphabet of storms, is concerning. The bad weather is presently coming fast and furious and the letter “G” would not normally be reached until February or March, if at all. The previous earliest “G” was on 23 January 2018, when Storm Georgina struck the UK. Today’s tempest represents only the fourth time that storm names have reached the letter “G” since naming began in 2015[iii]. Meanwhile the planet is finishing its warmest year in the past 174 years, very likely the past 125,000[iv].
Yet one year after starting this weekly blog, it is now week 53 with next year imminent, it seems appropriate that I reflect on what renaturing has taught me. I have learned a huge amount, have seen a myriad of visitors from both near and far, and can now count on many others supporting me. I have received messages from throughout the world and have been asked to talk to several prestigious institutions. Despite this, I remain an environmental nobody but am trying hard to fashion a presence. I sense it is needed and am more than grateful to those who have so far supported me.
What have I learned? Several basic lessons, and I am sure there will be plenty that I will miss:
1. The unconventional path of a renaturer
I am still seen as odd. There are some who continue to tell me it is time to cut my grass, sweep up leaves, and follow a once-party line where land was judged by being tidy, not by how it functioned. To them, they meet my renaturing journey with doubt, curiosity, and scepticism. To others, and I have noticed there are far more in support than opposition - opponents seem noisier than supporters - renaturing is positive action. I am asked for ideas, offered suggestions, and encouraged to do more.
The school children who visit are truly enthusiastic. To them, renaturing is normal, and they cannot understand how so-called grown-ups are still mowing lawns, sweeping leaves, using manmade chemicals on their gardens, or felling trees. I am saddened that despite the growing awareness of environmental issues, renaturing and rewilding remain an unconventional path, and are seen as outliers in modern lifestyles. This resistance mirrors a reluctance for society to embrace change, even when it is beneficial. Renaturing is not only about a personal choice, even if it happens to be mine, it is about challenging the status quo and envisioning a harmonious coexistence with Nature. Resistance to change manifests itself in many ways, from foot-dragging and inertia to petty sabotage, to outright rebellion[v].
2. Reflections on human nature
Observing wildlife in the Lake District has offered me a mirror on human behaviour. The selfishness of mankind[vi], often criticised, is not unique to our species. In Nature, survival may demand a certain level of self-interest. It is difficult for me to be certain about selfishness in the animals I see. For example, how can a bee be regarded as selfish if, when it uses its sting, it then perishes[vii]? Yet it will certainly sting an invader, me for example, if it feels its colony is threatened. For reference a honeybee’s stinger is made up of two barbed lancets, meaning when it stings, the stinger cannot be pulled out again. The stinger is attached to the bee’s digestive tract, so subsequently the entire digestive system, muscles, and nerves are pulled out, which is what causes the death of the bee[viii].
Sex appears to be a major driver for selfishness. The two cock pheasants on my land show this well, as they fight over the single lady. Thanks to climate change, I am seeing in December what I would expect to find in March. There is no doubt that during the breeding season male pheasants become aggressive towards one another. This is an event triggered by hormones and pheromones and encouraged by the swollen red wattles surrounding their faces[ix]. I am witnessing animal selfishness, driven by the mating desire, as one cock has a go at the other. As best I can tell, the lady pheasant is wishing the two cocks would hurry up and decide, as her primary focus is procreation.
Community spirit is manifestly important as I saw only yesterday, before Storm Gerrit became a justified concern, I looked to the sky above me to see three crows flying side by side at roughly 500 feet, keeping away two buzzards that were clearly seeking food from any nearby crows’ nests. Neither bird fought the other, although there was plenty of screeching and noise, but the crows flew wing-to-wing to defend their community. I saw no selfishness, just joint community action. The buzzards soon turned and flew away.
As I now reach the end of this year of renaturing, it is evident that mankind may be intelligent but is still another member of the wider animal kingdom. We may be special, but everything else is, too. There is nothing about mankind that makes our species an exception. The rest of the animal kingdom has as much right to exist as we do. Co-existence should be our aim, not dominance. Unlike many other species, humans have the cognitive ability to foresee and mitigate the impact of their actions, although they do have a propensity for seeking mainly short-term self-interest[x]. This can be detrimental. Community action, as with the crows above me, is the only logical way forward.
3. Climate change and ecological overshoot
I now realise that climate change is not the problem, it is a problem, and a symptom of the wider decay. For example, when I looked overhead a few days ago and saw a V-shaped formation of geese flying north, not south, I realised that I would normally expect to see that in February when the geese return from their winter migration, not December. It may be climate change that has done this, but this is the symptom not the diagnosis and is caused by ecological overshoot. That is, mankind is already far beyond what Planet Earth can handle[xi]. Our ever-expanding population requires more resource than the planet possesses, while we are producing more waste than it can handle. There is only one way mankind is going and that is down. There can be no alternative. It is only a matter of time, and it surprises me that ecological overshoot is not more widely debated. Perhaps the politicians are worried that publicity might lead to civil insurrection. Maybe they are right.
Ecological overshoot has led to the creation of an Earth Overshoot Day just as there is a Tax Freedom Day. For example, a typical Briton works 169 days of the year solely to pay their taxes[xii]. The Earth Overshoot Day happens each year and reflects the number of days of that year that Earth’s biocapacity is sufficient for humanity’s ecological footprint. This is the amount of environmental resource necessary to produce the goods and services to support an individual's lifestyle, a nation's prosperity, or the economic activity of humanity as a whole[xiii]. Earth Overshoot Day in 1971 was on Christmas Day but is now 2 August[xiv]. What seems clear is that the planet is overpopulated and living beyond its means. Smaller human populations are necessary to preserve what is left[xv]. Animals can do it, and so should we[xvi]. For example, deer can regulate their own population quite well if left to their own devices[xvii]. Population control is not all about lemmings running over a cliff, which is likely to be a myth anyway[xviii]. The relentless consumption of resource, coupled with overpopulation, is leading Planet Earth towards an unsustainable future. Mankind is in trouble, and it seems daft to deny it.
As a renaturer I thought I would be squeaky clean, so recently calculated my own ecological footprint. Sadly, even I am way off the mark. If everyone lived like me, despite all my precautions, there would be a need for 4.7 Planet Earths, and Earth Overshoot Day would be 2 March. I am not doing well, I am a disaster, and must take more radical action. My renaturing is simply insufficient. It is a beginning, that is all.
4. The UK's global position
Despite incredible enthusiasm about rewilding in the UK, with 81% of Britons supporting the activity, our politicians have yet to enter the fray[xix]. I am saddened by this, as there is clearly still much to be done. As a country we are trailing behind many others, whatever the media may say. I well remember the short visit I paid to two colleagues in Southern France several months ago, when they invited me to see their Permaculture project. It was brilliant, they were talented, and I realised how much more I should be doing in Lakeland, and what may happen as the climate grows warmer. It is not just France, but many other countries, too. Climate change is a global problem and there is no single-nation solution. Take Norway, with the largest rewilding endeavour in its history as it aims to preserve its polar bears[xx], or Costa Rica with its reversal of deforestation[xxi]. Both are top-notch examples. The UK has much to learn from activities like these. Rewilding and renaturing are not just conservation tools but crucial elements in environmental policy[xxii]. Let us hear you, politicians. Your time is now.
5. Effects on wildlife
During my time in the UK’s Lake District, I have observed the resilience of Nature and its capacity for recovery. It is astonishingly resilient, despite mankind’s selfishness. The COVID-19 pandemic showed this perfectly when my land was crawling - literally - with wildlife[xxiii]. It is different now, as many acts of human selfishness have driven much of the wildlife away again. People who are unfamiliar with Lakeland see the fells around them, the wide expanses of lake, the many hectares of woodland, and believe that to be Nature. It is not. Much of Nature is out of sight and is far more than a good view. I have watched while construction activities in small areas wreak widespread wildlife destruction, without those responsible realising what they are doing. When I show these people the damage they are causing, they become offended, and move the subject on to other things. In their eyes, I am the oddball.
6. Effects on me
There are also the effects on me of renaturing. I have now established that it is extremely hard work, and much more difficult than being a traditional gardener who seeks a perfect garden appearance. Now a full year later, not only is my physical health better, but my mental health, too. I have not taken to the bottle, abused drugs, bitten my nails to the quick, or become a chain smoker. I still detect a spring to my step. My personal experiences match the research findings globally[xxiv]. Renaturing is good for you.
If you are not presently renaturing, call it rewilding if you prefer, now is the time to start. Just do it and learn as you go along. I would be surprised if you did not enjoy it. It truly is fun.
The future
This series of blogs will end up as a book, some time before mid-2024. The editors are on that case as I write. Keep an eye out on Amazon for The Bit Outside, published by Vineyard Press. I will leave a link on these pages.
You will have noticed that this blog concerns a small piece of land, slightly more than half a hectare, in one of UK’s most attractive regions, the Lake District. For the year ahead I will be spreading my net further, as the effects of climate change are all around, not just on my half-hectare. When I walk the fells, I frequently see the signs of climate catastrophe and will share those findings with you each fortnight. The Lake District is the UK’s second largest National Park, second only to the Cairngorms, and fills 2362 square kilometres of land. It sees more than 18 million tourists each year, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site [xxv], and is also my home. Allow me to share my Lake District with you so together we can see the damage mankind is creating. If you can dream up ways of improving the situation, I would be delighted to hear them.
First stop? Helvellyn[xxvi], of course, which is the third highest mountain in England, at 950 metres high. I have walked it, climbed it, even skied it. There are few better ways of showing the impact of climate change on the patterns of winter snowfall. Allow me to do that for you. There is much more to say.
***
Acknowledgement
Take it from me - none of this would be possible without the help of RSG Horticulture. Rufus, who runs it, has far more energy than me and is full of ideas and skills. Do contact him through https://www.rsghorticulture.com.
Hashtags
#StormGerrit #ClimateChangeAwareness #Renaturing #EnvironmentalPreparation #LakelandStorms #NatureConservation #EcoLiving #RewildingJourney #SustainableLiving #WildlifeProtection #ClimateCrisis #EcologicalOvershoot #EarthOvershootDay #GreenBlogging #NatureReflections #HumanImpactOnNature #UKEnvironmentalPolicy #LakeDistrictConservation #EcoFriendlyLifestyle #ClimateActionNow
References
[i] Pye D. 26 December 2023. See https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/24011743.storm-gerrit-will-hit-cumbria-next-two-days/. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[ii] Wikipedia. Gerrit. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit#:~:text=Gerrit%20is%20a%20Dutch%20male,1905–1962)%2C%20Dutch%20poet. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[iii] Best B. Storm Gerrit disruption due to hit NI early on Wednesday morning.
See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67823554. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[iv] Zhong R. Earth was due for another year of record warmth. But this warm? See https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/26/climate/global-warming-accelerating.html?campaign_id=51&emc=edit_mbe_20231227&instance_id=111075&nl=morning-briefing%3A-europe-edition®i_id=123049773&segment_id=153621&te=1&user_id=f3ac3f8cadc5a566089d40d30c21d101. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[v] Kanter RM. Ten reasons people resist change. 25 September 2012. See https://hbr.org/2012/09/ten-reasons-people-resist-chang. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[vi] Katz J. On the nature of selfishness. The Journal of Philosophy. 1948 Feb 12;45(4):96-103.
[vii] de Waal FB. How selfish an animal?. Moral markets. 2010 Dec 16:63.
[viii] Do bees die after stinging? See https://www.clearfirstpestcontrol.co.uk/news/do-bees-die-after-stinging/#:~:text=A%20honey%20bees%20stinger%20is,the%20death%20of%20the%20bee. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[ix] Morrell T. Pheasant attack. 12 November 2012. See https://www.westovervets.co.uk/pheasant-attack/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20doubt%20that,red%20wattles%20surrounding%20the%20face. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[x] Ridley M, Low BS. Can selfishness save the environment? Human Ecology Review 1993;1(1): 1–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24707135. Accessed 27 Dec. 2023.
[xi] Measure what you treasure. See https://www.footprintnetwork.org. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xii] Brits spend over 45% of the year working for the taxman. https://www.adamsmith.org/taxfreedomday#:~:text=The%2018th%20of%20June%20is,year%20solely%20to%20pay%20taxes. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xiii] Wikipedia. Ecological footprint. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_footprint#:~:text=The%20simplest%20way%20to%20define,of%20humanity%20as%20a%20whole. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xiv] Past Earth overshoot days. See https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/past-earth-overshoot-days/. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xv] Cafaro P, Hansson P, Götmark F. Overpopulation is a major cause of biodiversity loss and smaller human populations are necessary to preserve what is left. Biological Conservation. 2022 Aug 1;272:109646.
[xvi] Animals regulate their numbers by own population density. 7 December 2000. See https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001128070536.htm. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xvii] Population dynamics of deer. See https://www.msudeer.msstate.edu/population-dynamics-of-deer.php. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xviii] Woodford R. Lemming suicide myth. Disney film faked bogus behavior. See https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=56. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xix] Wrigley R. Brits are behind rewilding. Now over to the politicians. 19 January 2022. See https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/blog/brits-are-behind-rewilding-2-2. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xx] Cloos K. Norway just built a new town - for polar bears. Here’s what the new rewilding project means for Arctic habitats. 4 October 2023. See https://adventure.com/norway-polar-bears-svalbard-rewilding-habitat-news/. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xxi] How Costa Rica reversed deforestation and became an environmental model. 19 October 2021. See https://earth.org/how-costa-rica-reversed-deforestation/. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xxii] Rewilding efforts in England are of a smaller scale compared to efforts in other nations, study argues. See https://phys.org/news/2021-10-rewilding-efforts-england-smaller-scale.html. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xxiii] Did wildlife really recover during Covid-19 lockdowns? See https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/did-wildlife-really-recover-during-covid-19-lockdowns/. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xxiv] Evans M. Rewilding European urban spaces. European Journal of Public Health. 2021 Oct 1;31(Supplement_3):ckab165-217.
[xxv] Wikipedia. Lake District. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_District. Accessed 27 December 2023.
[xxvi] Wikipedia. Helvellyn. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvellyn. Accessed 27 December 2023.
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