World Environment Day

Today, June 5, is a day sandwiched between two important events in military history. On June 4, 1942, American naval forces won the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean, changing the course of the Second World War in that theatre. On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, carrying out an event of similar magnitude for Europe. Both of these engagements were won at great human cost and with huge quantities of effort and skill, and with more than a little bit of luck. Nevertheless, they stand as monuments that represent what we are capable of when faced with great challenges, and how we can strive to fight for freedom and justice.

June 5 is not as well-remembered in history - although it should be noted that the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in WW1 broke out on this day in 1916. I actually have the memoirs of T. E. Lawrence, who helped to orchestrate and lead the Arab independence movement, on my bookshelf, and they are a treasured possession. As I read the pages, I sometimes can't help but wonder about what Lawrence, one of my heroes, would have made of the modern world.

Lawrence was a person with a profound understanding of other people, as evidenced by his writing. He knew how to judge a person's abilities, whether to trust them, and how to talk effectively with them almost from first sight. In contrast to him, however, I think that today's governments, all across the world, may not be blessed with such observance and tact.

Despite the efforts of many to deny its existence, climate change has been built up on inscrutable evidence, and is possibly the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced. Today is World Environment Day, and so it seems right to talk about this huge challenge. Scientists everywhere say that we need to act as soon as possible for there to be any chance of overcoming this crisis. Yet, despite the best efforts of many world leaders, the facts still remain that much more needs to be done.

It is an unfortunate fact that, on this World Environment Day, we cannot carry out the same global projects that characterised previous occasions. However, just as we remember the sacrifices of those brave warriors of the First and Second World Wars, we can still remember the necessity for courage, honesty and drive that are needed from us in solving this problem, and do our best to ensure a green recovery from this pandemic.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wastage

Most of the litter that I pick up while on park cleaning excursions is of no further use to humans - hence why they have been thrown away in the first place. Although it's vexing to have to pick up empty bottles, sandwich boxes, used tissues and cigarette ends from the pathways, so far I have at least known that their time was up anyway, and so they could be disposed of with a clear conscience.  Today, however, there was an example that just went too far. In the bushes of Holland Park I discovered a package of wet wipes that was still more than half-full.  I don't want to get unnecessarily angry about this. However, I think that it is truly astonishing that somebody would have the idea of throwing away this perfectly usable product - and not even putting it into a waste bin, but hiding it away from sight as if they too were ashamed of their own actions. Those wet wipes could have served them well for at least a few more days. If nothing else, it was a waste of their money. What
Read more

Emperor Vespasian

I just learned that, on this day, the Roman Emperor Nero killed himself in 68 AD. Faced with huge popular unrest, mutiny in the army and with his great rival Galba marching on Rome, Nero took his own life - or forced his private secretary to do it (accounts differ significantly) - saying famously, "What an artist dies with me!" Yet although Nero was a hated figure by this point, one of the most turbulent and unstable years in ancient history would follow his death, as, over the course of 69 AD, no fewer than four emperors were crowned, weakened, and killed in succession. Galba, Otho and Vitellius all rose up to seek imperium and wear the purple toga, before they fell to each other's swords and to the might and power of Vespasian, who finally restored order to the Roman Empire. I have always greatly admired Vespasian. Unlike his predecessors, who all hailed from aristocratic backgrounds, he came from what is better described as an upper-middle class family, and was its fir
Read more

First Day (19/5/20)

Today was my first excursion to the parks. Originally I had intended to spend some time in Marcus Garvey Park and then briskly move on to Holland Park. This plan did not materialise, since I quickly realised that there was far more rubbish in the former than there had appeared to be a first glance. So I set to, equipped with my shiny new litter picker. Most of the things there were small objects, unfortunately all too common, such as cigarette ends and bottle caps. Around the benches in particular were dozens of cigarette ends - so many, in fact, that I grew tired of seeing their orange rectangular surfaces over and over again. I still can't understand why people smoke, or why they throw their cigarette ends onto the ground when there literally is a bin right next to them. It was the same with bottle caps, and even entire bottles and cans - I found an empty can of Guinness, another of Red Bull, and a bottle of Heineken lounging in the undergrowth. There are several bins in Marcus G
Read more