Last Word: The Magazine Writer

I always wanted to be a magazine writer. And I’ve had my wish granted many times over. I’ve even been the launch editor of two magazines and contributed to hundreds more. But of late I’ve been invited to write for quite a number of online and print publications – some like CEI Asia and Foreign Investors on India are shared above. Others are still to come, so look out for Storm Magazine, the UK’s Environment Industry Magazine and Japan’s Environmental Business/Kankyo Business Global. Then there’s the magazine produced for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Experience Singapore - which wrote about me and my writing. I regularly read, support and write for Eco.business.com and like what is being produced now - Eco-Business Magazine - as an e-magazine. I’ve also contributed to the online video magazine U Brain TV where there are a few interviews by me and with me. Needless to say, I’m a fan of magazines – I love “Monocle”, which I think is one of the very best magazines in the world – and I will continue to read and write for them, whether they be print, online or both. I will also share my work, and other good articles which come to my attention, through LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Of course those social media outlets were not around when I first ventured into writing and reporting more than 50 years ago. Times change, as do media and methods of communicating. But there’ll always be a place for magazines. Here’s one article to share with you – Famous Last Words from the Environment Industry Magazine, written by none other than Sir David Attenborough, who’s been through many media changes as well as environmental impacts over the years. Read More

From Environment Industry Magazine (Issue 24)

Population

By Sir David Attenborough

All we seem to hear about these days is climate change, the ice caps melting – the fluctuating weather patterns that result. In short, the uncertain future we face. But the more serious problem – so serious in fact that most governments seem reluctant to even address it – is the issue of global population growth.

By 2050 there will be 15 billion people wandering around on the planet. Population numbers are exploding at an astounding rate.

So I ask you, where are we all going to go? Where are we going to live?

The pace of population growth is of detriment to our planet, and it’s undoubtedly our biggest concern. No matter what we do now, no matter what measures are put in place, there are going to be a billion more of us within the next decade.

We all want to feed ourselves, have homes, have cars and enjoy pleasant lives, but we’re staring into the abyss because the planet cannot sustain such gargantuan growth. This is the biggest danger. And actually, in the Western world, we show relative restraint and responsibility. The same cannot be said for Africa and Asia, where population is out of control. Can the technological world offer education in these areas? We can only hope it does.

For the time being though, it has been swept under the rug for another day, because economic matters are deemed more important. But, at some point, the conversation will need to happen. It’s interesting, because the Chancellor of the Exchequer talks about growth and so on, but you can’t grow indefinitely, infinitely. Our world cannot sustain such growth.

The bottom line is the planet is finite and we are heading for disaster. And there seems to be this belief that we can’t do much about it. In the last century, the population has never collectively got together and said ‘this is what we will do for this issue’. It must be possible.

If we don’t think there are going to be global problems, we’re deceiving ourselves. It’s impossible to tell how bad the disasters will be.

In my opinion, all countries should develop a population policy. A total of 70 countries are currently employing such a policy in one form or another. The defining common denominator is to make family planning and other reproductive health services freely available to everyone, empowering and encouraging their use, although without any kind of coercion.

I have seen how increasing numbers of elephants can devastate their environment until one year when the rains fail on the already over-grazed land, they die in their hundreds. But we are human beings and because of our intelligence and our ever-expanding skills and sophisticated technologies, we can avoid such brutalities. We have medicines that prevent our children from dying of disease. We have developed ways of growing increasing amounts of food. So now our destiny is in our hands.

To aid the situation, we have to break the taboo on the subject. Until it is broken there is no hope of the action we need. Wherever and whenever we speak of the environment, we should add a few words to ensure that the population element is not ignored. If you are a member of a relevant NGO, invite them to acknowledge it.

Climate change

On a separate issue, climate change obviously remains a huge problem for the planet. The Earth is getting warmer year on year, considerably so, although it’s not a uniform increase either, which can complicate the issue somewhat. In the Arctic, the increases in temperature are happening very fast, but in the Antarctic places are getting much colder and this, I imagine, gives something for certain lobbyists to cling to. That way they can tell everyone there’s nothing to worry about.

The world is a big place – there are no uniform characteristics, so there are quirks and contradictions everywhere. But overall, the planet is getting much warmer, very quickly.

I have seen huge ice flows and icebergs dramatically decrease in size. We’ve lost several ice shelves from the poles; the evidence is there for all to see. And there is definitely more extreme weather about.

We are steaming towards disaster, at a faster rate than was ever anticipated. I hope some sort of paralleling solution can be found before long. And hopefully there will be one, as we have many talented, worthy, diligent individuals out there striving to make a difference, and I salute them all.

And there are real differences being made by people. One of the most startling, for me, has been the increase in numbers of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. There are far more now than when we were first visiting the region a couple of decades ago. This sort of success is incredibly heart-warming, and it provokes others to believe they can do likewise, but we need more action, more focus on the planet, not the economy. That attitude needs to change if we’re to witness any drastic improvement.

Lost species

If I’m allowed to say dream and bring a species back from extinction, it would have to be the dinosaur, from the Jurassic era. I’m not sure which one I’d choose – maybe a great Brontosaur would be a good choice; certainly one of the big sauropods.

The Brontosaur was a huge land animal; not as big as a blue whale, but undoubtedly one of the biggest animals ever recorded on land. It would be pretty incredible to see one coming around the corner!

An environment free of human life

If I could erase humans permanently from an ecosystem, I would take them away from the Great Barrier Reef. It is an awe-inspiring place, and every time I’ve gone back, it has offered something bigger and better than the previous occasion. Apart from its fantastic appearance, the Great Barrier Reef is able to move in three dimensions, which is unlike any other similar species.

The sheer variety, the sheer beauty and abundance of the reef, was a massive personal revelation. It’s a wonder that simply cannot be missed.

But it’s incredibly fragile and already mass bleaching is showing us the effect the human population is having on it. So keeping humans away from the Great Barrier Reef would be my choice – I would isolate it completely and lock it within Mother Nature’s grasp.

Source: www.environmentmagazine.co.uk/?p=3505