Somerset local action to cope with Climate Change.

We are getting somewhat overwhelmed by initiatives to cope with Climate Change. About time too you might think. I have been watching the series of programmes on TV called  " Earth Shot" and it took me some time to find out what it was all about. ( https://earthshotprize.org ) I found out eventually that it was an initiative started a year ago to find new ways of responding to all aspects of the damage we are collectively causing to the Earth. The BBC web site is currently giving a good introduction to it I eventually found!

All this made me repeat much of an earlier post about our local situation which is no bad thing!

However this post is just looking at Somerset responses to probably our biggest climate change threat  namely flooding.Where we live is about 50 metres above sea level and there are  predictions of future sea levels which would put us on the new coast line!

This possibility has led to serious efforts to respond. You can see how seriously by visiting the web site set up to focus our local attention to the potential consequences: 

https://www.adaptingthelevels.com/about

I hope you will see why I have gone to the trouble to tell you all about it!

Rewilding Europe. Seen from the UK

STAFFAN WIDSTRAND / REWILDING EUROPE

History

Rewilding Europe was formally established on 28 June 2011 as an independent, non-for-profit foundation (ANBI status) registered in the Netherlands. The four co-founders of Rewilding Europe are Frans Schepers, Staffan Widstrand, Neil Birnie and Wouter Helmer. Rewilding Europe currently incorporates two limited liability companies, the Rewilding European Capital B.V. and the Rewilding Europe B.V..

As an independent organisation, Rewilding Europe has established itself as a pan-European initiative, operating at the frontline of rewilding at a European scale. We work together with numerous partners, both at a European, national and local level. A Supervisory Board, with now five members from five different countries, was established in September 2012. The Rewilding Europe Circle, an assembly of ambassadors and advisors, was established in 2015.

After more than nine years of committed work, Rewilding Europe is now well underway and has made considerable progress, as can be seen in our Annual Reviews and regular reports. The rewilding process in Europe has achieved significant momentum. As it takes this new conservation movement forward across the continent, Rewilding Europe will continue to act as a pioneer and frontrunner.

By mid 2020, Rewilding Europe is working in eight large rewilding areasacross Europe, with staff- and board members, ambassadors and volunteers from 18 European countries. Our lean-and-mean central team currently represents 7 lead positions with some 16 staff in total. Rewilding Europe is based in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Read more about Rewilding Europe in the public disclosures.

Climate Change and Adaption! Local action

I attended the recent AGM of the Sedgemoor Gardening Club and listened to a very good presentation on the subject of the increasing risk of river flooding on the Levels and related issues.  As a follow up to the meeting I met up with Gina Beauchamp who chairs the Curry Rivel Britain in Bloom group, CRIB, and Peter Goodenough who is Chairman of the Gardening Club and the main initiator of the Curry Woods Conservation Trust with the tree planting on the ridge.which I also support. 

The three of us all agreed that we had a common interest in supporting  County wide activities to cope with anticipated effects of climate change and could make a useful contribution to future discussions and proposals.

I hope to get support from our local group of the Wildlife Trust whilst CRIB has in previous years made reference to Batty Piece and Eastfield as examples of community support for our wild flower meadows. 

What we would like to do next is to welcome village residents to join us in an informal group to discus and share information about future changes and action to protect and promote the wildlife in our Parish. We would write about this initiative in the Curry Rivel News . CRIB and the Curry Rivel Woodland Trust would be named and I would like to include reference to other local activities.You can see more on the whole story about Climate Change  adaptation in Somerset on their web site at:  www.adaptingthelevels.co.uk,

New thinking on how to control development -Biodiversity Net Gain

Read about all this on Natural EnglandBlog at:

naturalenglandblog.gov.uk

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Comment posted by Professor Ian Rotherham posted onon 21 September 2021

A big problem is the idea that catastrophic losses can be offset - which often they cannot. Whilst there are great opportunities to get developers and business to reinvest in biodiversity this should not be an excuse for irreparable damage. Landscape heritage is also not replaceable or capable of being 'offset' - so ancient woods, ancient hedges, veteran trees, traditional unimproved grasslands etc cannot be compensated for. The other real worry with this is the incentive for consultants to offer (for a good-sized fee) offset solutions which are essentially pie-in-the-sky and incapable of realistic delivery and not transparent in terms of their long-term outcomes. This appeals to developers, to politicians, and to planning inspectors since it justifies damaging developments but with a clear conscience - greenwash. We need to engage business and others in genuine commitment to sustainable ecological and heritage solutions. Finally, losses at a particular locale cannot be genuinely offset by actions displaced to another site - ecological systems & local communities simply do not operate in that way. We require more genuinely visionary and pragmatic solutions.

Comments welcome!

Silent Earth by Dave Goulson

I'm half way through my birthday book called Silent Earth written by Dave Goulson and it made me think immediately of Rachel Carson and her book Silent Spring which had made a big impression on me a few years ago! 

He introduces the book with a dramatic sub title "Averting the Insect Apocalypse "

Chapter 2 starts with a quote from EO Wilson American Biologist "If all mankind were to disappear the world would regenerate back to the rich state that existed 10,000 years ago. If insects were to vanish the environment  would collapse into chaos"

Chapter 6 quotes Wilson again  " Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal " 

I am now on chapter 7 The poisoned Land,  which builds on the work of Carson with the latest research on the dangers of pesticides and herbicides.!

Of local interest for me is the management of our local wild flower meadow which buzzes with insect life all summer and we have just had a hay cut! Perhaps we should leave it uncut!? I should add that we dont use any herbicides or pesticides!

Back to Silent Earth now. 

Meadows and grasslands

Protecting and restoring meadows and grasslands is essential to the fight against climate change. Grasslands sequester carbon, enhance biodiversity and contribute hugely to the beauty of our natural environment. Tell the UK government to make meadows a priority at the COP26 climate conference.

In November of this year, world leaders will meet at COP26 in Glasgow to discuss the single most pressing issue facing the planet - climate change. 

Species-rich grasslands offer ways of reducing the impact of greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Protecting and enhancing grasslands, savannahs, plains, heaths, steppes and meadows must be part of both the discussions and the outcomes of COP26.

Despite their crucial importance, in the last 100 years, the UK alone has lost 97% of its meadows and other species-rich grasslands. Grassland maintenance and restoration are critical to delivering the Government’s commitments to net zero emissions, nature’s recovery and sustainable food production. Farmers and other land managers are amongst the key stakeholders to unlocking this solution, to benefit all, but they need support to do so. There is a huge leadership opportunity here.

Wild flowers , plants and fungi are the life support for all our wildlife and their colour and character light up our landscapes. But without our help , this priceless natural heritage is in danger of being lost.

From the open spaces of our nature reserves to the corridors of government , we work nationally and internationally to raise their profile, celebrate their beauty, and to protect their future.

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I fully support this campaign by Plantlife.

Close to where we live in Somerset there are two meadows designated as Local Wildlife Sites and they both qualify as priceless natural heritage but are vulnerable to housing development!!!

The. latest email from the Green Party! I need to teach myself to understand what it is all about!!

Questions!

What is  Doughnut Economics?

What does "biggering " mean?

What is the Lorax?

What did Dr Seuss ,writer of books for children, say about all this?

I have already used the good old internet to look for answers so I'll try to answer my own questions soon!

Hi David,   Caroline Lucas MP and Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics, are teaming up for an online event next week Thursday 2 September to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Lorax. They will be joined by Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, to explore how our obsession with economic growth (biggering) is destroying nature - and what we can do about it.    We'll be asking:   🌎What does the economy have to do with saving nature and restoring biodiversity?   🌎What does The Lorax teach us about how we run our economy and what needs to change?   🌎Where does nature fit into Doughnut Economics?   And there'll be time for you to ask your questions and contribute ideas during the event too!   As Greta Thunberg told world leaders in 2019: “We are in the beginning of mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth”. Now is the time for governments to act.   Are you coming?

SIGN UP TO ATTEND THE EVENT

As Greens we know that the endless pursuit of economic growth is destroying our planet and accelerating rampant inequality. That's why we are asking you to sign a petition demanding that the government moves towards a Wellbeing Economy, putting people and planet first. We need 100,000 signatures for it to be debated in Parliament -- can you put your name down?

SIGN THE PETITION

See you there!   -- Green Team 💚

Curry Woods Conservation Trust.

I visited the wood this morning to check its progress. 

Probably 90% of the new trees planted earlier this year are growing in their plastic guards, based on a quick survey. some are growing well and out of their guards others are looking alive but not showing much growth and a few are looking dead.

I counted several Ragwort plants growing well  and some thistles too. So maybe we need to control those. Of course as the new trees grow they will do the controlling for us. But in the area left as grass for perhaps hay making there will be a concern.

I'll add some photos soon.

IPCC report on Climate Change

The news reports are full of comments and summaries of the content of the IPCC report on climate change.

You can find the IPCC report on this link:

https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/

We all have to make our own minds up and then consider what we can do and that will be difficult!

Comment from the BBC today!

IMAGE SOURCEEPA

Human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways, a major UN scientific report has said.

The landmark study warns of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade. 

The report "is a code red for humanity", says the UN chief.

But scientists say a catastrophe can be avoided if the world acts fast.

There is hope that deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures. 

Echoing the scientists' findings, UN Secretary General António Guterres said: "If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success." 

The sober assessment from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of scientists whose work is endorsed by the world's governments.

It leads a series of reports that will be published over coming months and is the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013. Its release comes less than three months before a key climate summit in Glasgow known as COP26.

• Mass evacuations as wildfires spread across Greece
• Time nearly up to stop climate catastrophe - Sharma
• Research shows millions more at risk of flooding

In strong, confident tones, the IPCC's document says "it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land".

Curry Woods Conservation Trust

Photos of trees have been lost! Will try again!

Peter Goodenough - Curry Woods Conservation Trust 

Comments on the progress of our newly planted wood

Oak showing Lammas growth 

Some trees will busily grow all summer and in most seasons keep on producing fresh leaves and shoots. Others such as oak and horse chestnut tend to produce a first flush of leaves and then, around June, stop growing. Their fresh shoots produce sugars that are stored for the winter, but if the weather is dryish no further new growth is made. However, if the weather is wet the trees suddenly start into new growth again, giving a spring like fresh green hue to the oak woods. This traditionally occurred around late July and early August and was known as Lammas Growth because it was close to Lammas Day. This day - 1st August - was a traditional day of celebration dating back many centuries when blessings were sought for the harvest. The word Lammas was derived from the Anglo Saxon Hlafmaesse which roughly translated means leaf mass. The very first ripe cereal grains were collected and bread baked from them, then crumbs from the loaf were sprinkled in the corner of barns to bring luck for the coming season. In our rather dry area Lammas Growth is rare but this year they could not wait for Lammas Day, they burst into new growth in early July - so they only briefly paused in their growth. This is good news for the Curry Woods as the newly planted oaks will not only produce plentiful new shoots and leaves but below ground the roots will be expanding through the damp soil much more easily than if it had been a dry summer. As roots push their way through the soil using hydrostatic pressure, dry weather baulks their progress in two ways, firstly hard dry soil is much more resistant to small roots and secondly the roots cannot take on board enough water to grow and expand. All root growth depends on the simple physics principle that liquids cannot be compressed - so hydrostatic pressure is very powerful in pushing through solids and gases, both of which compress. That is why roots are like JCB earth moving machines (other makes are available) as both rely on hydrostatic pressure to move solid material like soil. Roots grow by their cells dividing and the new cells filling with water and pushing aside the soil. This is so much easier when the soil is wet and roots grow fast as they experience little resistance. This opens  up many tiny channels in the soil and in the winter much more rain is absorbed by the soil than without trees - which is why our trees will play an important part in the future in retaining flood water that would otherwise run off towards the village! 

Rowan, grows throughout the season