What can a solar eclipse reveal about us, and our relationship to
Earth? It’s an Eco-Eclipse
A solar eclipse is an occasion for environmentalism. The global
meets the global, yet produces a distinctly local zone of totality,
a space of ecological and cultural interest. The ‘Diamond Ring’
effect of a solar eclipse is perhaps one of the most intensely
environmental moments that a human being can experience. It is the
moment when the last sign of light from the Sun shines through a
valley on the moon just before totality, producing a single jewel of
light set in a narrow ring of sunlight. When we watch that last glow
of light fade it is because we are watching the movement of the
Earth, our primary object of study as environmentalists. What can
this reveal about us, and our relationship to Earth?
A total solar eclipse was visible in Cornwall on 11 August 1999. The
event and its timing was an occasion for wider concerns to be
expressed about place, the environment and the future of the world.
As ridiculous as it might sound in 2009, in 1999 there was genuine,
global, mortal fear that, as predicted by Nostradamus, the world
would literally end at the turn of midnight at the end of 1999, with
the mechanism being nuclear warheads being released by computers
confused by the millennium bug! Some even believed the world would
end as totality struck during the eclipse!
Total eclipses are “the World Cup finals of hippydom and offbeat
religion” (The Mail on Sunday, 9/8/98, p.23). My study of the 1999
eclipse showed that paganism took a particular interest in the
eclipse, with an interviewee describing paganism as the umbrella
term for “a group of nature based spiritualities”.
The sense of occasion that the eclipse period brought to Cornwall
operated on physical and imagined scales, from the intensely local
gathering of eclipse tourists outdoors in the elements, to the
‘inter-global’ awareness of the planet and its fragility.
The following song lyrics, written by a pagan specifically for the
eclipse, signifies the environmental concerns prevalent in the
eclipse occasion:
“People of the world we harm
With the eclipse of the moon and Sun
Bringing all the people together
It’s up to us, it’s now or never.”
(Chorus of “Afterglow” by Louise Parker, ITV, 7/8/99)
Several questionnaire respondents emphasised being aware of the
vulnerability of the planet to outside forces at the moment of
totality, with implications of care for the planet needed from
humans.
Of course the eclipse was covered on television at the time, and on
ITV the sense of occasion continued for hours after totality. There
was a specially timed eclipse edition of ‘Videotech’, a programme
consisting of music videos. Among several selected videos was Reef’s
video ‘Come Back Brighter’. The video is set on the moon, where one
of the band members emotionally rips the American flag from the
ground and hurls it towards the Sun to destroy it. The message is
one of unity, and the common responsibility for trans-boundary
cooperation in a solar system that operates without concern for
political boundaries on Earth.
As we approach the United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Copenhagen in December 2009, I hope the politicians remember that
message.
Eco-Election
- The General Election Campaigns in the UK in 2010
A general election is an opportunity to examine global,
national and local environmental politics. The image of the
Earth as a circular object with clearly defined limits is
perhaps the most succinct and pervasive image that can be
used to express concern for environmental management. In
circulation since 1969, the year that startling images of
planet Earth were relayed from the surface of the moon, they
fundamentally recast environmental perceptions and
legitimated the environment as a major political issue. The
subsequent message of a key book published in 1972, The
Limits to Growth, that infinite consumption of non-renewable
resources within in a finite system is impossible, was the
starting point for the Green Party of England and Wales,
contesting its first general election in February 1974.
There was a shift in the 1960s and 1970s away from
previously deeply entrenched party loyalties, and towards
“judging parties according to their stances on the issues of
the day” (Pattie, 1990).
Environmental issues reached an electoral high point in the
1989 European elections, where the 14.9 per cent share of
the vote won by the Green Party was the highest ever won by
a Green party in any national election in any European state
(Garner, 2000). However, the ‘first past the post system’
meant that Green Party won no seats in the European
Parliament. In 1999 the European elections were run on a
form of proportional representation, and the Green Party
elected Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert to the European
Parliament (Dobson, 2000).
By May 2001 David Watts, Liberal Democrat candidate for
Broxtowe, wrote in the Nottinghamshire Evening Post that
“The protection and preservation of the environment is the
single biggest issue facing the world”. The Ecologist
published the results of its ‘Great British Environmental
Survey’ in May 2001, revealing that over half of the
electorate were about to vote, to some extent at least, on
the basis of environmental policy.
The Liberal Democrats worked with Friends of the Earth to
produce their 2001 election manifesto. FoE helped them to
integrate a green column onto every page of the manifesto,
rather than bolt on an ‘Environment’ page at the end. In
contrast, the Labour manifesto placed climate change policy
at the end of the manifesto, rather than being integrated
into other policy areas.
During my interview with David Watts in 2001, he revealed
that many local environmental policies were actually
justified to voters on social or economic grounds. For
example, the proposed bus lane on the A52 in Nottinghamshire
was justified for its social and economic benefits rather
than environmental. Similarly, local campaign leaflets
justified energy efficiency policies in economic terms
rather than environmental.
With the General Election in 2010 approaching, it appears
that the environment is steadily moving up the political
agenda, but driven by social and economic rather than purely
environmental incentives. I will be watching the election
campaigns carefully to see how social, economic and
environmental incentives are expressed in 2010!
Want to
meet new people, get fit, get new skills for jobs or even
help the environment? Then Eco-Volunteering is the answer
Volunteer in a nature reserve! The three reasons listed
above for environmental volunteering are not listed by
accident. They map directly onto the three principles of
sustainability: social, economic and environmental.
If the environmental movement is to make sustainable
progress, we need to appeal to more than people’s good will
to help the environment. We need to show that there are
social and economic benefits to individuals when they engage
with conservation volunteering.
This idea isn’t new to conservation charities. They have
mountains of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, to
show the social and economic benefits of volunteering.
Sounds a bit theoretical? Let’s look at some examples.
Social
You might have recently moved to a new area and want to get
to meet new people. Or perhaps you are looking for a special
someone to share your life with. Volunteering is a great way
to meet new people who are like minded. Some environmental
organisations even arrange ‘Eco-Dating’ events!
Perhaps you want to look good on the beach next summer?
Evidence shows that you can burn up to a third more calories
when volunteering in a nature reserve than you burn when in
an aerobics class in the gym!
Or maybe you feel like a holiday to do all of the above?
Conservation holidays are great ways to meet new people, get
fit and see a new part of the world.
Economic
In the current recession many people have lost their jobs
and are looking for work. Volunteering for a conservation
charity adds new bullet points to your CV. And it’s not just
conservation skills you can learn. There are opportunities
to gain highly transferable skills such as administration,
book keeping, marketing, fundraising and event management.
When I was a recent graduate I had a degree and masters but
little work experience, so I began volunteering in nature
reserves to build up my CV. I then asked if I could
volunteer in the office, and soon gained experience working
on funding applications. Weeks later I landed a fundraising
job for the Environment Agency!
Environmental
Oh yes, and the environment! Volunteering in nature reserves
helps the local plants and animals, as well as the global
environment in terms of managing biodiversity loss and
climate change. Maintaining a local river bank might
actually help prevent your own house getting flooded! But
don’t worry too much about that. The reason most people
sustain their volunteering effort is because of their own
personal social or economic benefits.
Volunteers may start out from a genuine desire to help the
environment, and that’s great. But they usually sustain
their volunteering due to the combination of social,
economic and environmental factors. So the message is to
think about other motives for volunteering, it doesn’t have
to be purely environmental. That’s fine by me!
Here are just a few examples of the organisations you can
contact to get started!
• Wildlife Trusts
• BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers)
• National Trust
• Groundwork
• Earthwatch
• Blue Ventures
Rock on! Rock your baby to
sleep and generate electricity at the same time!
Rocking chairs have often
been associated with parenting, as the rocking motion helps
to calm babies and send them off to sleep. Then you can get
back to your X-Box, tax return or absorbing puzzle.
Now you can legally knock out
your baby, save money on your energy bill and help the
environment, all at the same time!
The Murakami Chair was
designed by Rochus Jacob, and won the 2009 Green Life
competition run by
www.designboom.com
Nano-dynamo technology and an
on-board battery pack are, somehow, fitted into the skids of
the chair. The gentle back and forth motion creates
electricity that powers the attached lamp as you rock. Or it
can be stored for later, if you prefer.
It’s probably better for the
baby than sleeping tablets. And it’s a mild form of exercise
for the parent, burning a few more calories than simply
leaving the
Antiques
Roadshow on, hoping that will put the baby to sleep.
I always marvel at ingenious
ways to combine social, economic and environmental benefits.
This is one of them, and it’s the way of the future. What’s
next in terms of harnessing kinetic energy generated by
things that people want to do anyway? Exercise bikes in gyms
hooked up to the national grid? Baby bouncers hooked up to
the lights in the nursery?
And the best thing about it?
When the baby’s asleep, you can see if that chair’s big
enough for two grown-ups.
Antiques
Roadshow on, hoping that will put the baby to sleep.