Off Topic The Environment

yorkshirehornet said:
Very sad....
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Yes it is more than sad. There are some countries that lay down laws in an attempt to reduce the spread of fire, but others do not see why they should be told what to do, even if it is for the benefit of everyone. One comment to the article I could agree with was, "A Man may be a tough, concentrated, successful money-maker and never contribute to his country anything more than a horrible example." Until there is acceptance that everyone has a responsibility to safeguard the planet, then it is a losing battle with those who will just exploit it.
 
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oldfrenchhorn said:
Yes it is more than sad. There are some countries that lay down laws in an attempt to reduce the spread of fire, but others do not see why they should be told what to do, even if it is for the benefit of everyone. One comment to the article I could agree with was, "A Man may be a tough, concentrated, successful money-maker and never contribute to his country anything more than a horrible example." Until there is acceptance that everyone has a responsibility to safeguard the planet, then it is a losing battle with those who will just exploit it.
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It's more than that Frenchie 'safeguarding the planet' implies that we are the guardians of it - implies that it is 'us' protecting nature, but we are part of that nature. We need to get one idea lodged into our brain and that is that the World does not belong to us exclusively - it belongs to itself, and nature itself does not recognise those human national borders we have erected, they relate to man only. We need also to get the theme away from politics - the dominant idea appears to be that if you are an environmentalist then you must also be slightly left wing - and criticism of people like Greta Thunberg always appears to come from right wing circles. This is nonsense because a poisoned fish in a river is not concerned whether the factory which produced that poison is state owned, communally owned, or privately. We need to get away from the debate about private vs collective ownership because the World belongs only to itself - the best which an individual can have is a limited stewardship for a few passing years. The basic idea which is false is that you can 'own' a piece of land and thus have control over the destiny of every living thing on it.
 
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What a good post cologne. Part of the trouble as I see it is that man thinks it is superior to nature, and can do what it likes, whereas we are very dependent on the wildlife to keep us alive, and should treat it with as much respect as we give to providing clean drinking water. Of course we have created these borders to protect what we have, rather than being prepared to share in a responsible way. As you well know I did buy land here, which was one of the reasons for me to move to France. I could put up a 8'.00" high fence around it to keep the larger four footed friends out, but I prefer to allow them access to it, and simply fence off areas that I want to grow things for us to eat. I have cut down some very tall ash trees, but they are now sending up more stems that over the next ten years will provide more trees than already exist. I hope that when I can no longer manage what in some ways is a nature reserve, someone else will have my vision for it. The next field to mine was owned by a lovely man who was very much a naturalist and gardener who taught me a great deal as I tried to adapt to a different climate. Since he died the new owners of his house are part-timers and cannot spend the time on their field. The result is that it has very quickly reverted to nature, and many of the trees that suffered with the extreme heat last summer are now falling down. Some work to prevent the undergrowth taking over might have allowed the trees to find some more moisture. So working with nature if we try to understand what is happening can be of benefit to man and nature.
 
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Reports in the press today saying that wolves have been spotted in the next commune. I don't think more than one has been photographed, so if it is lone one I don't know. A number of local farmers are saying they have lost sheep, and want something done. The government welcomes them in the country, but seeks to control the numbers. We will see what happens about this one, or maybe more.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
Reports in the press today saying that wolves have been spotted in the next commune. I don't think more than one has been photographed, so if it is lone one I don't know. A number of local farmers are saying they have lost sheep, and want something done. The government welcomes them in the country, but seeks to control the numbers. We will see what happens about this one, or maybe more.
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I know this sounds crazy Frenchie but the more you have of them, and the healthier the pack size the less damage is done to livestock. Their natural prey is deer of all types, followed by wild boar and as long as they have the numbers to hunt these then everything is ok. Lone wolves, or depleted packs, are more likely to go for easier prey. So shooting the odd wolf reduces the pack's hunting ability and actually increases the amounts of farm animals they take, and so is counterproductive. Also if you get a healthy pack settled in your area then it prevents lone wolves coming into it. The bigger problems arise in some southern and eastern European countries where they have a feral wild dog population - in Rumania they have about 3,000 wolves and about 2 million wild or semi wild dogs, some of which have formed packs in the countryside - unlike wolves they have no breeding controls (with several females in a pack, they're all at it) and are expanding at a far faster rate, whereas a wolf pack will only increase it's size according to the available prey in an area, and will not over hunt an area. The solution to wolves is to make sure that endangered livestock is behind electric fences and to make sure the government is paying for the costs, and also for damage reparation. The other essential is to make sure that domestic and farm dogs are under control.
 
colognehornet said:
I know this sounds crazy Frenchie but the more you have of them, and the healthier the pack size the less damage is done to livestock. Their natural prey is deer of all types, followed by wild boar and as long as they have the numbers to hunt these then everything is ok. Lone wolves, or depleted packs, are more likely to go for easier prey. So shooting the odd wolf reduces the pack's hunting ability and actually increases the amounts of farm animals they take, and so is counterproductive. Also if you get a healthy pack settled in your area then it prevents lone wolves coming into it. The bigger problems arise in some southern and eastern European countries where they have a feral wild dog population - in Rumania they have about 3,000 wolves and about 2 million wild or semi wild dogs, some of which have formed packs in the countryside - unlike wolves they have no breeding controls (with several females in a pack, they're all at it) and are expanding at a far faster rate, whereas a wolf pack will only increase it's size according to the available prey in an area, and will not over hunt an area. The solution to wolves is to make sure that endangered livestock is behind electric fences and to make sure the government is paying for the costs, and also for damage reparation. The other essential is to make sure that domestic and farm dogs are under control.
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There are plenty of deer and boar in these parts, and despite the chasse attempting to control the numbers they do not do a very good job of it. There are far too many accidents where a car hits one of them as they come out of the ditches or as I found out, over a hedge. Hit a full size boar at even a moderate speed and you are likely to write off your car. Part of the reasoning of government was to allow wolves back for safety reasons on the roads. All reports suggest that this is the first time they have been seen in this area, and it seems to me that it could well be a single animal as the pictures taken are all within a three kilometre radius. The reports suggest that ten to twelve sheep have been killed, and with so many lambs about at present they are easy game. While I can well see that they would come here, I was surprised to read that a few have been seen in the Paris suburbs. We know about the urban fox, but not sure that wolves are likely to raid dustbins.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
There are plenty of deer and boar in these parts, and despite the chasse attempting to control the numbers they do not do a very good job of it. There are far too many accidents where a car hits one of them as they come out of the ditches or as I found out, over a hedge. Hit a full size boar at even a moderate speed and you are likely to write off your car. Part of the reasoning of government was to allow wolves back for safety reasons on the roads. All reports suggest that this is the first time they have been seen in this area, and it seems to me that it could well be a single animal as the pictures taken are all within a three kilometre radius. The reports suggest that ten to twelve sheep have been killed, and with so many lambs about at present they are easy game. While I can well see that they would come here, I was surprised to read that a few have been seen in the Paris suburbs. We know about the urban fox, but not sure that wolves are likely to raid dustbins.
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I image sadly that the chasseurs will be out in force...
 
I have just been reading in my newspaper how it is proposed to replace the 850 hectares of public spaces, parks, roundabouts, roadside borders, etc with ornamental shrubs rather than the annual and bi-annual plants. Studies have shown that this will improve air quality and reduce the amount of water required. One of the really nice things to see in France are the efforts made by most councils to provide some natural colour to the area, and many towns are very happy to have one of the Ville Fleurie signs at their entrance. Different types of planting take place around the country and it is about quality of life as much as pretty flowers. The other part of the article was about the money that will be spent on new hedgerows. The farmers as in many countries have grubbed old field borders out, and a determined effort is going to be made to increase the numbers again. In a separate but related article about what the public are expecting from the new mayors that will be elected in March, the environment and air quality were the second highest hope from the population. There is little doubt that the green movement has taken hold in France.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
I have just been reading in my newspaper how it is proposed to replace the 850 hectares of public spaces, parks, roundabouts, roadside borders, etc with ornamental shrubs rather than the annual and bi-annual plants. Studies have shown that this will improve air quality and reduce the amount of water required. One of the really nice things to see in France are the efforts made by most councils to provide some natural colour to the area, and many towns are very happy to have one of the Ville Fleurie signs at their entrance. Different types of planting take place around the country and it is about quality of life as much as pretty flowers. The other part of the article was about the money that will be spent on new hedgerows. The farmers as in many countries have grubbed old field borders out, and a determined effort is going to be made to increase the numbers again. In a separate but related article about what the public are expecting from the new mayors that will be elected in March, the environment and air quality were the second highest hope from the population. There is little doubt that the green movement has taken hold in France.
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Many of the ornamentals are being replaced on public land here Frenchie with wild sorts which are attractive to wild bees. People are beginning to realize that flowers do not bloom for our pleasure alone but are nature's marketing campaign to attract insects. This is becoming one of the first priorities here - which has to be the case because 65% of Engelskirchen is forested. They have also brought new laws in here restricting the numbers of beekeepers - unfortunately many people in the past thought that the way to help bee populations was to become a beekeeper and unleash 70,000 + highly bred competitors per hive - which was a little bit like trying to help birds by starting a chicken farm. Things are slowly changing - farmers are not bringing dung out onto all their fields now but leaving the borders free, more hedges are being planted, and if the roadsides are mown then what is cut is actually taken away.
 
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Yes, there are roundabouts and field edges now all covered with wild flowers here. It need not be expensive, and probably saves the local council money by not having to send the water bowser out each day as they did last summer. When I went to Banbury last year some of the roundabouts looked dreadful, but the council in an effort to obtain extra money had allowed sponsors to take them over, with an advertising board to say which company was forking out the money. The trouble was at least two of the companies with their names on the boards have gone bust. Our local council here is very small, and has a tiny budget for planting schemes, but a group of about twenty people have sat down with the council and worked out the best use of that budget, and provide volunteer labour to keep it colourful and well looked after.
 
There is an article on the BBC tonight about Jaguar Land Rover having to bring in car parts by aircraft in suitcases from China to try and keep their production lines going. Although these parts are only a small part of their production, most come from Europe, it shows just how interconnected world trade has become. Of course this is due to the coronavirus, and JCB are facing similar problems. When car production has had a terrible year in the UK, would it not be good for the environment to stop producing stuff in quantity that has no buyer, but sits on a disused airfield for a year. I once bought a new car for one of my employees and it took Ford four weeks to find it as it was stored with a thousand others. Not only do we make things that we don't need, we make things that are not required. It seems quite crazy.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
There is an article on the BBC tonight about Jaguar Land Rover having to bring in car parts by aircraft in suitcases from China to try and keep their production lines going. Although these parts are only a small part of their production, most come from Europe, it shows just how interconnected world trade has become. Of course this is due to the coronavirus, and JCB are facing similar problems. When car production has had a terrible year in the UK, would it not be good for the environment to stop producing stuff in quantity that has no buyer, but sits on a disused airfield for a year. I once bought a new car for one of my employees and it took Ford four weeks to find it as it was stored with a thousand others. Not only do we make things that we don't need, we make things that are not required. It seems quite crazy.
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Sadly all is sacrificed to the great god of Money......

We used to make decent cars in the UK.... now a great British car bought by the Americans and thenby the Indians is dependant on parts from China

'Market forces' eh......... crazy
 
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yorkshirehornet said:
Sadly all is sacrificed to the great god of Money......

We used to make decent cars in the UK.... now a great British car bought by the Americans and thenby the Indians is dependant on parts from China

'Market forces' eh......... crazy
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There were, until recently, three British motor manufacturers according to the AA. But Morgan was bought by Italians a year ago, leaving only Caterham and McLaren now. <doh>
 
In Calderdale, the West Yorkshire valley that has been hit by four floods in the past eight years, one in five new homes have been built on land with a high risk of flooding since 2015.

The whole planning system is in such disarray that it allows such things to happen. It really does need some joined up thinking as one thing has an effect on another, which in turn has an effect on another, which in turn...............
 
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Sad to see a new coal power station has opened in Germany joining similar power stations burning lignite, the dirtiest of coals. The existing four of these establishments are causing an estimated 4,200 deaths a year. The German government has ignored the Un request that no coal plant should open anywhere in the world. The UK has largely eliminated coal from its power system, Germany are not due to phase coal out until 2038.

Can we ask the EU to meet our standards?
 
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