The environment, Part I

I am at home from university for a couple of weeks, which means coming out into the countryside. I go out walking the dog, which means I can enjoy the fresh air and think at the same time...

I want to save the environment, and a lot of people think like me. I look at the countryside, and I think it's a shame that even in the countryside, every square inch is managed farmland or there for some economic purpose.

I do my best not to leave things on that use up power - all those things on stand-by get turned off if I am away for any length of time. I get very frustrated that you can only get rid of stand-by on some things by turning them off at the wall. For instance, my stereo is plugged in behind a chest of drawers, so it's very difficult to turn off completely. And there are lots of things we can do, like using public transport instead of a car, and recycling.

I think the best thing we can do for the environment is to put money into researching "green technology". I'd love all our power to be wind power, solar power, or even nuclear fusion in future. And if we can do that, we can produce hydrogen with no costs to the environment, for all these hydrogen cars and things.

There is no doubt in my mind that environmental problems are real. Global warming is real, over-fertilistion leading to eutrophication is real, pollution is real, the hole in the ozone layer is a real problem, extinctions and loss of habitats are real problems. And the list goes on.

I would like to see some section of the world that is unaffected by humans so we know what it would be like, and because I find that beautiful. Just seeing the birds, rabbits and foxes in the hedgerows and fields is a great experience, and I am pleased to be able to experience it. It is something worth protecting.