The Polyglot - Issue 18, Environment

A B I N G D O N ' S

M O D E R N

L A N G U A G E S

M A G A Z I N E

the

POLYGLOT Michaelmas 2021

Issue 18

Environment

the

POLYGLOT

ISSUE 18

Contents 4

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L'Accord de Paris: objectif atteignable ou rêve irréaliste?

Billy Backhouse

Los árboles del Amazonas Charlie Masters Atomausstieg in Deutschland

Environment interviews with assistants

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Nuclear power and the future of electricity generation in France Jakob Hobbs

Mother Earth Luka Shanidze

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Finn Wilson Protéger l'environnemnet

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Will Wakelam

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The Anthropause and its impact on wildlife

Rohan Chandrasekaran Matty Rolfe

Dubai Fact File Arth Gupta

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L'Accord de Paris: objectif atteignable ou rêve irréaliste ?

BY BILLY BACKHOUSE

C

onceptualisé et conçu en

lors est entrée en vigueur en

2015 au Bourget, l’Accord

novembre de la même année.

de Paris représente ‘un traité

C’est le premier accord qui

juridiquement contraignant’

assure légalement que tous

qui a pour but de limiter le

ses participants aient un plan

réchauffement global d’au

quinquennal détaillé des mesures

moins deux degrés centigrades

qu’ils vont prendre pour réduire

et de réduire 70% de toutes les

leurs émissions, autrement connu

émissions produites d’ici 2030.

sous le nom de CDNs (conditions

En 2016, la convention est signée

déterminées nationalement).

par quelque 196 pays et depuis

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“ ”

quelque 1 68 pays ont déjà r atifié ce traité

Qui fait partie de l'accord ?

critiques ont questionné la viabilité d'une

Comme nous l’avons indiqué,

telle législation. Une préoccupation

quelque 196 pays ont déjà ratifié

est liée au souci financier, étant

ce traité. Quelques absents

donné que beaucoup de pays en

notables incluent la Turquie, l’Iran

voie de développement sont privés

et l’Irak; tous parmi les pays les

des fonds nécessaires pour remplir

plus émetteurs de CO2 au monde.

leurs obligations. En réponse à ce

On doit mentionner qu’en 2019,

problème, de multiples gouvernements

l’administration de Donald Trump

de pays plus développés ont promis

a quitté librement l’accord, citant

la mobilisation d’environ 100 milliards

que de tels accords 'affaiblissent et

de dollars par an pour qu’ils puissent

défavorisent l’économie américaine’.

aider les moins développés à s’occuper

Depuis, les États-Unis ont rejoint le

soit de l'adaptation, soit de la mitigation

traité proposé de nouveau sous le

au changement climatique. De plus,

conseil du Président Biden.

quelques détracteurs ont critiqué l’application actuelle des accords; bien

L’Accord va-t-il réussir ?

que l’accord puisse punir certains aspects

Depuis sa conception, de nombreuses

de la convention (comme la nécessité

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de produire une CDN), les pays qui

principales: l’indice de changement

échouent à compléter leurs objectifs

climatique, le tracker d’action

ne peuvent être punis d’aucune

climatique et l’horloge climatique.

manière monétaire ni armée qu’il

Toutes montrent qu’aucun des

soit. Selon le scientifique de la

plus grands émetteurs (Chine, Les

NASA James Hansen, les accords

États-Unis, L’Union européenne

se révèlent frauduleux : “il n’y a pas

et Inde), qui constituent 55% des

d'actions, seulement des promesses”

émissions globales, n’ont réalisé

et il suggère qu’une taxe carbone

des progrès dans la réduction

aurait un effet bénéfique pour

de leur empreinte carbone. Plus

assurer une réduction concrète des

alarmant, le tracker d’action

émissions de CO2. D’autres organes

climatique démontre que la

de réflexion ont questionné la validité

Chine et les États-Unis ont

de ses promesses, car ils ne croient

tous deux augmenté leur

pas qu’il soit probable que les plus

production de gaz à effet de

grands émetteurs réduisent leurs

serre de 2%, provoquant

émissions de leur propre volonté sans

un doute sur l’efficacité

des ramifications légales. De fait,

des accords. La seule

l’organisation qui sous-tend l’accord

source réelle d'espérance

croit que les pays seront encouragés

vient de différentes

à baisser leurs émissions à cause de

politiques 'zéro-carbone'

l'opinion publique ainsi que la honte de provoquées par la n’avoir pas complété leurs objectifs.

signature des accords, telles que l’interdiction

Le progrès déjà accompli

de toutes les voitures

Malheureusement, il existe aussi

essence et diesel

des soucis liés au progrès déjà

en Angleterre d’ici

accompli vers la réalisation des cibles

2030.

nationales. Par exemple, on mesure le progrès avec trois méthodes

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“

Depuis sa conception, de nombreuses critiques ont questionné la viabilité d'une telle législation

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Los árboles del Amazonas arches how e s re rs te s a M ie rl a h C lt with a e d g in e b is ru e P in deforestation

degradación forestal que en cualquier otro lugar para el 2030. La mayoría

M

ás de la mitad del Perú está cubierto

de las tierras forestales en Perú son

de árboles. Esto significa que Perú es

propiedad del gobierno nacional, lo cual

uno de los 10 países con mayor biodiversidad

permite a los solicitantes la cosecha

del mundo, con más de 330.000 personas

temporal de ciertas áreas. Pero en

que dependen directamente de los bosques

cuanto a la tierra, las comunidades

del país para vivir, y muchos más que

indígenas quieren reconocimiento dado

dependen de los numerosos productos y

su uso y administración a largo plazo.

servicios ecosistémicos que brindan estos bosques. Al mismo tiempo, según WWF, la

A nivel del suelo, las comunidades

Amazonía es uno de los principales frentes

indígenas de la región de Madre de

de deforestación, una de las 11 regiones que

Dios, la provincia donde está una gran

se espera que tenga más deforestación y

parte de la selva tropical, y el resto de la Amazonía, están participando en una

está cubiert o de árboles covered in tr ees brindan eso s bosques these trees provide los solicitan tes - applica nts a largo plazo - long term la selva - jun gle

iniciativa global llamada "Reducción de emisiones por deforestación y degradación forestal" (REDD +). Todos

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los programas REDD + requieren

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la med ic un pas ión - measu re o further mãs ãlla - on ment e step millas cu alojam adradas - s qu ie bonofi nto - accom are miles cacion modat ion e se cre ó recie s - bonuses nt recent ly crea emente - it was ted

aprender qué estrategias de conservación son más efectivas. Las comunidades indígenas de la Amazonía van un paso más allá.

En Perú también existe el Grupo Maderacre, que administra casi 850 millas cuadradas de bosque tropical, la concesión más grande de este tipo en Perú. El enfoque de Maderacre es el uso responsable de los recursos forestales, dice la gerente industrial Andrea del Pozo, y la empresa fue la primera en Perú en participar en

Ambiente de Perú. Dice que la deforestación está aumentando, y esto se debe en parte a que el ministerio en sí se creó recientemente en 2009, pero también a que hay una alta tasa de rotación en los puestos gubernamentales en todos los niveles: local, regional y nacional.

En general, lo que vemos aquí es la cooperación entre los pueblos indígenas, las empresas de tala de árboles y los políticos para mantener la hermosa selva tropical.

un proyecto REDD +. Maderacre ofrece a sus empleados plenos derechos laborales así como seguro, alojamiento y comida y bonificaciones por productividad.

En la oficina de Lima, lejos del verde, Gustavo Suárez de Freitas dirige los

“

programas de conservación forestal y cambio climático del Ministerio de Medio

la Amazonía es uno de los principales frentes de deforestacíon

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Atomausstieg in Deutschland: Wie Fukushima den Aussteig aus der Kerneergie auslöste ase Will Wakelam discusses the ph y out of nuclear energy in German

E

s besteht kein Zweifel, dass die

internationaler Ruf als Hochtechnologieland

Fukushima-Katastrophe einen

mit beeindrucken Sicherheitsstandards.

signifikanten Wendepunkt für den

Dieser Aspekt hat sogar begeisterte

Umweltschutz in Deutschland markierte.

Anhänger der Kernenergie dazu gebracht,

Am 11. März 2011 löste eines der stärksten

sich selbst zu hinterfragen. Zu ihnen gehörte

Erdbeben aller Zeiten einen Tsunami

Angela Merkel, eine ausgebildete Physikerin,

vor der japanischen Pazifikküste aus.

die an die friedliche Nutzung der Kernenergie

Die gigantischen Wellen rollten über

glaubte. Zum Beispiel hatte sie sogar die

das Atomkraftwerk Fukushima Daiichi,

Mitte-Links-Koalitionsregierung ihres

zerstörten das Kühlsystem und verursachten

Vorgängers, Gerhard Schröder, angegriffen,

eine Kernschmelze in drei seiner sechs

weil sie den Ausstieg aus der Atomenergie

Reaktoren. Die Fukushima-Katastrophe war

beschlossen hatte. Jedoch wurde ihre

die schlimmste nukleare Katastrophe seit

Meinung durch die Fukushima-Katastrophe

Tschernobyl 1986.

geändert, als Merkel drei Tage nach der Katastrophe ankündigte, dass Deutschland

Besonders wichtig ist jedoch Japans

nach der ‘unvorstellbaren Katastrophe’

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in Japan seine kürzlich genehmigte

für den Ausstieg aus der Atomenergie

Verlängerung der Betriebsdauer von

bis Ende 2022. Allerdings verklagten

Kernkraftwerken aussetzen würde.

Energieunternehmen die Regierung auf Schadensersatz und dieser Prozess dauerte

In nur wenigen Wochen ist die politische

fast zehn weitere Jahre, bis beide Seiten

Dynamik, die von der Fukushima-

einem Schadensersatz in Höhe von 2,4

Katastrophe ausgelöst wurde, spürbar

Millionen Euro zustimmten, wobei die

geworden. Merkels enger Verbündeter und

Steuerzahler die Rechnung für den Ausstieg

ein großer Befürworter der Atomenergie,

bezahlten.

Stefan Mappus, verlor als amtierender Ministerpräsident in Baden-Wurttemberg gegen Winfried Kretschmann von den Grünen. Das repräsentierte eine politische

“

In nur wenigen Wochen ist die politsiche Dynamik, die von der FukushimaKatastrophe ausgelöst wude, spürbar geworden

Premiere für die anti-nukleare Partei, vielleicht noch bedeutender angesichts des Ansehens Baden-Württembergs als konservativen Bundesland.

Drei Monate später stimmte der Bundestag

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Environment interviews ssistants a e g a u g n la r u o d e w We intervie problems l ta n e m n o ir v n e t u o b to learn a tries. n u o c ir e th in s n o ti lu and so

warming is caused by our CO2 emissions. The

Germany

modern community produces too much CO2.

At the same time, forests are being cut down

Climate change

and natural habitats for animals and plants

Different regions have been differently

are being destroyed. I believe that it is not

affected: towns by the sea or on rivers

the fault of a single country, but every nation

have been faced with flooding, the heat

on earth is contributing to climate change.

and dryness have a negative effect on the

Germany produces just as much CO2 as any

vegetation and agriculture, and the Alpine region has less and less snow. When I was a child, there was a lot of snow at my house, but last year there was almost none.

other country on Earth.

Probably the most famous demonstrations in Germany were organized by ‘Fridays for future.’ These were held mainly by students

As with everywhere else in the world, the

and because of the global pandemic their

main cause of climate change is global

online activity had to be rescheduled at short

warming, which not only heats up the Earth, but also changes the weather. Global

notice.

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Pollution In the many big towns in Germany you

Public Transport.

may only drive with an environmental

Definitely! The Germans are very proud of

badge. Depending on the emission levels

their cars and many do not own only one, but

of the car you will get a red, yellow or green

several. My parents, for example, own three

badge. In most of the towns you may only

cars and my grandma, who lives in the same

drive with a green badge. However there

house, also owns a car, so my parents have

is not, as in England, a fee to be paid in the

a total of 4 cars. Of course, every car needs

environmental zones you may drive.

a garage, because in Germany cars are not parked outdoors. My parents live in a small

Currently 46% of Germany's energy comes

village with 50 inhabitants and the nearest

from renewable sources, mainly wind solar

supermarket is 7km away, so you really need

and biomass. Renewable energy has been

a car. But not 4! Unfortunately, many people

one of Germany's top priorities and you will

have too many cars in Germany.

notice this every time you visit Germany as you can see solar panels and loads of wind turbines everywhere. These are a lot more

Yes, one can rent bicycles everywhere. In big

common in Germany than other countries

towns there are rental bikes, they are also

as farmers like to make money with biogas

not expensive ( 5 cents per Minute in Munich

by producing energy from biomass. The

- 3 euros per hour). In resorts they have many

government encourages electric cars and

hotels to rent their own bicycles and areas to

to take the train/bus by making the prices

explore on the beautiful bike-rides.

low. They create very good cycle tracks and encourage people to keep their cars at home when possible.

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the

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Dominican Republic

recoge a menudo. Mucha gente tira los desechos en las calles. ¡Qué horror!

Ubicada en el centro del Caribe, la República dominicana sufre del cambio climático y desastres naturales como los huracanes y los terremotos.

Además, la gente no recicla frecuentemente. No lo hacen porque tienen otras preocupaciones.

Las causas principales del cambio climático son la contaminación del aire, los gases de los vehículos y, además, las autoridades no educan a la población sobre la problemática del cambio

Normalmente, mucha gente tira basura a la calle y nadie le dice nada por eso.

No es normal utilizar tu propia bolsa de plástico.

climático.

Había protestas cuando Greta Thunberg era famosa pero perdieron el impulso rápidamente.

Las posibilidades de que se recicle son bajísimas.

Es más, cada vez es más común que más gente opte por tener su propio

En este momento, en la República Dominicana hay algunas normas para frenar el cambio climático, pero el plan no es muy claro o conciso. Así que la

vehículo. Así que el transporte público no es popular y puede ser caótico.

En este momento, hay muchos

gente no respeta la situación.

vehículos en la República Dominicana en mal estado.

Respecto a la energía renovable, hay dos parques solares y planes para

Normalmente, únicamente los turistas

proyectos de energía eólica.

alquilan las bicicletas.

En la República Dominicana las calles

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France

-Does your country have any schemes

-Est-ce que le changement climatique impacte votre pays?

to deal with air pollution like the congestion charge in London?

During the summer, when pollution is

Oui, évidemment. Je pense que le changement climatique impacte notre pays mais que les mesures prises ne

even worse, the Mayor decides to put in place a period when you can or cannot drive, depending on the registration

sont pas assez efficaces. Je pense

number of your car. You can only drive

que la France est en retard si l’on

your car on certain days, based on the

compare avec d’autres pays comme

numberplate.

l’Allemagne ou les Pays-Bas. Je crois que le problème vient principalement

-Is public transport encouraged?

des grosses industries qui génèrent

Yes, we are encouraged to take public

beaucoup d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Je pense qu’il y a une certaine forme d’égoïsme puisque beaucoup de gens ne pensent pas aux générations

transport. It is really easy to use but I think that the prices are expensive (though it is not as expensive as in England). This is a shame because it

futures.

puts many people off. I studied in Reims

-Have there been any protests against climate change in your country?

and I used to take the tramway : in three years the price of the one-hour ticket increased by 30 centimes ! 10 centimes

Of course. France is the country of

every year... It may not be much but I’m

protests! There are lots of ‘Marche

sure that if we do a little calculation it

pour le climat!’. Et une autre forme de

represents a lot of money as I used to

contestation se passe dans les urnes:

take the tramway twice a day !

pendant les élections municipales en juin dernier. Il y a eu ce que l’on appelle ‘une vague verte’, c’est-à-dire que beaucoup de Français ont voté pour les écologistes.

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Nuclear power and the future of electricity in Fran ce Jakob Hobbs discusses the viability of nuclear power

W

ith over 70% of its electricity

In a public display of support for nuclear

derived from atomic energy,

energy, Macron has declared that the nuclear

France’s reliance on nuclear power is

power represents ‘l’avenir énergétique et

patent. For over four decades, a network

écologique de la France’. The reality is far

of 56 nuclear reactors has made France a

from clear-cut.

world leader in electricity generation and

A brief history

energy independence. However, concern continues to mount over the safety of its ageing power plants and, as support for truly

In the post-war period, France was initially

renewable energy gains traction, many have

reliant on foreign oil to meet its energy

begun to question the long-term viability

demands. However, the importance of energy

of nuclear power. The debate concerning

independence was becoming increasingly

nuclear energy has become increasingly

apparent and the 1973 oil crisis crystallized

polarized with some labelling it the panacea

the need for a transition away from foreign

of energy production, others a deadly threat.

energy sources. In this light, the Messmer

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Advantages

Plan was launched, an initiative seeking to ensure energy independence through the construction of a vast network of nuclear

Above all, nuclear power is a clean energy

power stations. Over the next two decades

source which will allow France to reach

Électricité de France (EDF) would oversee the

its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by

installation of over 56 reactors. Due to the

2050. While France has committed to a 50%

rapid increase in energy production, France

nuclear power reduction target by 2035,

has become the world’s largest net exporter

Macron has underlined the vital role that

of electricity and gains over €3 billion per

nuclear power will play in reducing CO2

year from this. France was seen by many as a

emissions.

model for a transition towards nuclear power.

Replacing nuclear power plants with renewable alternatives would be costly and would reduce France’s energy capacity. Furthermore, in comparison with

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the

POLYGLOT its European counterparts, France has a

began in the 1970s and have continued

significantly lower number of yearly deaths

to the present day, spearheaded by

from air pollution and this trend has been

organisations such as Greenpeace and

linked with France’s use of nuclear power.

Sortir du nucléaire. The nuclear meltdown of

Nuclear power could also help support a

Fukushima in 2010 prompted a wave of anti-

transition towards more ecologically sound

nuclear sentiment with particular criticism

travel. Low electricity prices guaranteed by

targeted at Fessenheim nuclear power

nuclear power could help to encourage the

plant, the oldest operational power plant in

use of electric cars, a strategy touted as a

France. These campaigns were eventually

key measure in reducing carbon emissions.

successful with Fessenheim closed down

While there are concerns about disposal of

in June 2020. There is significant concern

nuclear waste, the quantity of high-level

about the environmental impact of nuclear

radioactive waste is equivalent to 11 grams

power plants in France. Nuclear waste can

per capita. France also has the capacity to

pose grave health risks and France produces

recycle uranium through its La Hague site

the most per capita of any country in the

thus improving the efficiency of its power

world. The issue of storing approximately

plants.

10,000 cubic metres of nuclear waste has become a serious problem in France and

Opposition and disadvantages

Greenpeace have underlined the damage that leakage into groundwater

The anti-nuclear movement continues to

could

garner significant support in France.

Protests first

n o c e t a b e eJudly Movement rem Th r The 26th of c n i e lu o v m e r e o ghout th uc roe thb rss bea numh y eg yeltith , n e m 0 0 2 n n a th s s l e with le b a l e m a l ttacks o fu s s s e c c u s e g ta s to able op, on tr 0 o 0 ,0 i 7 3 t f o c u prod 18

the

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nuclear power. It is a source of energy with

by detractors. In particular, critics of nuclear

immense potential and continues to become

power point to Fukushima and Chernoybl.

more efficient and safe as technology develops. Though debate surrounding

Furthermore, there have been several

this issue has not ceased to rage, France

accidents in France such as a leakage of

continues to spearhead advances in nuclear

liquid uranium at the Tricastin power plant

fusion technology (particularly at the ITER

in 2008. However, scientists predict that

tokamak, a facility in Provence, Southern

a major nuclear accident is likely to take

France). Given the pressing nature of the

place every 10-20 years globally. Similarly,

climate crisis, it seems foolish to me to

while terrorist activity could be disastrous,

disregard such a potent technology. Nuclear

the likelihood of a terrorist attack occurring

power undoubtedly has risks but they are

is minimable (though cyber-attacks are

risks worth taking.

perhaps more concerning).

It is difficult to reach an objective conclusion regarding the viability of

y g r e n e r a e l c u n h ncering t i w , d e s i r in a ll l a m s o d e p in a m y l g n i s a e r y g r e n ution, sometimes e f o a e c a y tl n n te is s a n coe p gys owinteBrteah . tista’s armyeadly threat d a s r e h t . p,so 19

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Mother Earth Luka Shanidze talks about the personification of the Earth

E

veryone has heard the phrase

this was used to distinguish the names

"Mother Earth" or "Mother Nature";

of gods from their respective elements.

it is one of the most universal cultural

For example, the word for inanimate

phenomena. Once revered as a maternal

fire "péhur" becomes the animate word

deity to humankind, now the image is

"hngnis" to describe the God of fire.

used to create sympathy and encourage

However, in the case of the earth deity

care for our planet. In this way, the fight

"dégōm", no such pattern is traced.

for the environment may not be such a

Instead, it is believed that she was a

new idea, as the personification of the

direct personification of the inanimate

earth in ancient culture also demanded

Earth. And since there was no distinction

respect and care. The difference is that

between male and female, her gender

now we care out of desperation, whereas

had to be identified from her common

once, people protected it out of gratitude.

epithet of "Méhatēr" (mother) and her common depiction alongside "Dyus phtr"

The personification of the earth is at

the 'Sky Father'. The Earth Mother is a

least as old as Proto-Indo-European

figure in Eurasian culture that visibly

culture and religion - that is, 4000 years

inspired most cultures following it. Most

old. The reconstruction of PIE language

notably, the Hellenic creation myth stars

shows that it had a two gender system

"Gaia" as the Earth Mother and "Uranus''

for distinguishing between animate and

as the sky father. These two give birth

inanimate nouns. In religious context,

to the Titans, and by extension most

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the

POLYGLOT of the pantheon are from their lineage.

The most prominent theory seems to

Other examples of an Earth Mother

be that the personification of the earth

and Sky Father giving birth to the main

reflects its perceived role in the universe,

Gods appear in Hindu and Norse myth.

and hence by fulfilling a maternal role

However, the phenomenon is almost

for humankind, it has been depicted as a

universal, as it arose in places around the

mother. It provides crops, materials and

world completely independent from each

shelter, as well as always being nearby.

other. For instance, the creation myth

Parallels can be drawn to the traditional

of Maori legend sees "Papa '' the earth

biological role of human mothers: to stay

goddess, "Rangi" the sky god give birth

with their children and bring them up.

to the rest of the gods. Incan belief also

Another interesting interpretation could

follows a similar motif of a central earth

be given to the personification of the sky

goddess "Pachamama", who is attributed

as a father; a figure more detached from

with the creation of the four main

his children, one that looks over them

'cosmological principles': water, earth, sun

and offers a role model, a place to strive

and moon.

for. Another aspect of this cosmological family lies in the occurrence of rain.

The parallels are clear between various

Many cultures would have seen rain as

independent cultures around the world,

the sky's fertilization of the Earth, which

so how is it that the idea is so universal?

also reflects the father and mother

“

Now we care out of desperation, whereas once, people protected it out of gratitude 21

the

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POLYGLOT

e r e w s e l p o Ancient pe s t c e ff e e h t f aware o e h t n o s n a m of hu t n e m n o r i v n e

”

relationship, and thus asserts their

inspiration from a different source than

respective genders. So overall, the reasons

the Proto-Indo European story, and the

for why the earth is called 'mother' and the

environment of Egypt may be one way to

sky 'father' seem intuitive, but how do we

explain the change in myth.

explain exceptions to this?

One of the largest ancient religions that

The personification of the Earth was

opposes the earth mother and sky father

not just an observation, though. It might

model is that of Egypt. However, the roles

have served a purpose similar to the

of these two gods differ in many ways to

one it does today. With many ancient

the previously mentioned beliefs. One

cultures stressing filial piety and ancestral

theory is that, in contrast to the previous

worship, the idea would have promoted

theory about rain, the main cause of

care and respect for the Earth. And there

fertility for the Egyptians was the regular

is also evidence that ancient peoples

flooding of the Nile. Therefore, there was

were aware of the effects of humans

no idea of the sky fertilizing the Earth, and

on the environment. With the ability to

instead, the Earth was self-sufficient. In

burn down and clear forest or even force

the creation myth, Geb and Nut are also

species to extinction, the role of humans

separated for eternity by the air deity

was reflected upon by some. In ancient

"Shu", because they had children despite

Greece, some people already questioned

being prohibited from doing so. It is

the effects of farming on the surrounding

clear therefore that these myths gained

climate, and in eastern Asia the "Feng

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Shui" of the land could be disrupted by

a personification. But if the belief of the

excessive human exploitation. These

ancient Greeks and Aztecs and Maori

people may not have known about the

worked the same way, then has the myth

severe changes that the earth would one

really changed at all?

day see, but their cultural ideas and beliefs nonetheless drove them to respect their

I would argue that it survives, since it also

environment. This is not so different from

fulfils the same roles in today's society as it

life today. A common over exaggeration

once did. Whether it's a cartoon depicting

about ancient religion is how literally

the effects of climate change, or even the

people understood it. Even to a non-

celebration of Mother Earth day on the

scientific society, it would seem absurd

22nd of April, today it is also used to create

that the dirty soil and irregular mountains

sympathy against climate change and to

beneath them are part of a human form.

protect our home. The notion of the earth

Instead of being more literal, their beliefs

as our mother therefore is clearly one still

were more likely to simply be stronger,

deeply rooted in today's culture, perhaps

since there were not many contradicting

as one of the longest standing and most

scientific ideas. We don't believe that the

universal beliefs among humanity.

earth is literally a human form - it's just

“

h t r a E e h t f o n The notio y l r a e l c s i r e h t o as our m n i d e t o o r y l p e e one still d today's culture 23

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The : e s u a p o r h Ant t i s a h t c e ff e t a h w ? e f i l d l i w n had o of ks at the impact Finn Wilson loo ent m n o ir v n e e th n o lockdown

The main impact of lockdown on wildlife is that there has been a huge increase in

T

he anthropause is defined as the global

the number of animal sightings in urban

reduction in human activity due to the

areas. We have all seen the pictures - deer

pandemic. It is no secret that this has had a

roaming the empty city roads and marine life

variety of environmental impacts, perhaps

returning to the once polluted waterways of

most notably the effect on urban wildlife.

Venice. According to a study from the paper

Indian beaches have become alive with

Science of the Total Environment, threatened

nesting turtles, dolphins have taken the

animals have been sighted numerous times

place of cruise ships and wild boar have

in Chile’s southern cities. After multiple

been frolicking in the streets. These are

camera traps were set up in the urban

all examples of how wildlife has tried to

areas, animals such as the Kodkod (small

strike back and reclaim the planet during

carnivorous cat) and the Southern River Otter

lockdowns.

have been spotted. These are just two of the many threatened native species that have

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on them.

small scale example, it is safe to assume that

A further problem facing the urban wildlife

this reemergence is happening all over the

is disturbance. While in general, humans

world’s urban areas.

have had a largely reduced presence in

However, this study also mentions that this

the cities, there is one urban area that we

data set is largely incomplete, due to the

are visiting more than ever. Depending on

fact that it was only compiled in a fraction

the local lockdown rules, many people are

of the city. In order to accurately measure

using public parks in cities much more than

the resurfacing of native species, we must

they did pre-covid. For example, according

employ a global effort to the estimation. This

to a study from Movebank, in Central and

problem is exacerbated by the pandemic,

Northern Europe there has been at least a

because it is impossible for many people

75% increase in people visiting public parks.

to carry out their measurements due to

This is also especially common in some of

lockdown restrictions.

the central states of the USA. There is no doubt that increased human presence in a

While there have undoubtedly been many

natural environment will disturb

positive effects of the pandemic on wildlife

animal life,

populations, in some areas this has been more of a curse than a blessing.

For some species, the pandemic may have created new challenges.

For example, various urban-dwelling animals, like rats, seagulls or monkeys, have become so reliant on food discarded or provided by humans that they may struggle to make ends meet under current conditions. It is easy to imagine that this sudden decrease in food availability would have a significant impact

“Wildlife has tried to strike back and reclami the planet during lockdowns”

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causing reductions in urban wildlife

which therefore leaves these species

populations.

very overexposed and unprotected.

There are similarities between the negative urban impacts of lockdown

Overall, we can see that the

and the rural ones. What has been

anthropause has affected both urban

highlighted by a Nature article is that

and natural wildlife in crucial ways.

numerous endangered wild species

Some impacts are positive, such as

such as Rhino are suffering. This is

the resurgence of threatened species.

because with lockdown comes a

Others are less beneficial, such as the

reduction in anti-poaching measures,

reduction in anti-poaching measures.

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Scientist Jean-Michel Gaillard,

‘plastic’, in that it changes greatly

director of research at the National

based on factors related to their

Centre for Scientific Research in

living environment. However, now

France, quotes, "As soon as we

that we have seen the effect of the

return to normal, it is certain that we

anthropause on wildlife activity,

will very, very, very quickly go back

it is the hope of many that we will

to the situation we knew before." He

change our behaviour in order to

also described animal behaviour as

maintain this new normal.

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Protéger l'environnement on the rk o w n e tt ri w r a e y 5th environment que c'était mauvais pour la planète, j’aurais arrêté.

J

e fais ce que je peux pour protéger

Cependant, après avoir regardé un

l'environnement. Malgré nos efforts,

documentaire pour améliorer ma

notre planète est sur le point de mourir. Quel

connaissance sur le réchauffement de la

désastre.

planète. Tout d’un coup, j’ai réalisé que notre planète est en train de mourir. Alors

Malheureusement, quand j'étais plus

j’ai décidé de devenir plus écologique.

jeune, je ne faisais pas assez pour protéger

Maintenant, il faut que je fasse grand-chose

l'environnement. Ça n'avait aucune

pour protéger l'environnement. Par exemple,

importance pour moi. Je ne savais rien

je me déplace toujours à l'école à pied ou

de l’effet de serre ou du réchauffement

à vélo et j’utilise les transports en commun

de la planète. Alors, je ne faisais rien

n’importe quand. En outre, récemment, j'ai

d’en améliorer. Par exemple, après avoir

écrit une lettre au maire. Je lui ai dit qu’on

quitté une salle, je n’eteignais jamais les

doit réduire le volume d’emballage par

lumières. En outre, en allant à l'école, bien

produit et interdire les voitures en centre-

que j’habitasse près de mon école, j’y allais

ville pour diminuer les émissions de gaz

toujours en voiture. Quel horreur! Si j’avais su

carbonique. J'espère qu’il m'écoutera.

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Auparavant, je dirais que je ne faisais pas

faire tout ce qu’on peut pour protéger

assez pour protéger l’environnement car

l'environnement. Si on n’en fait pas,

je n’avais appris pas d’effet de serre. Par

notre planète mourra. Il y aura plus

exemple, après avoir bu une canette de

de disparitions d’espaces. Beaucoup

coca, je ne la recyclais jamais.

d’espèces sont menacées par la perte de leur habitat. En plus, l’effet

Maintenant, j'essaye de faire plus pour être

de serre deviendra pire et donc le

plus écologique, par exemple, je débranche

réchauffement de terre augmentera.

les appareils électriques quand je ne les

Quelle malchance! Il faut qu’on doive

utilise pas. En plus, en hiver, je mets un pull

utiliser les ressources naturelles au

au lieu d’augmenter le chauffage.

lieu d’essence car la combustion d’énergies fossiles amplifie l’effet de serre.

Mon école peut faire beaucoup pour devenir plus écologique à l’avenir.

Par exemple, les profs peuvent encourager les étudiants plus âgés à ne pas prendre leur voiture, puisque la voiture représente la liberté mais aussi la pollution. En plus, j'espère que l'école pourra installer des panneaux solaires. Si j’avais le choix, l'école encouragerait le recyclage. Il faut absolument qu’on recycle le carton, le papier, les bouteilles, le plastique, et les emballages.

-Rohan Chandrasekaran

Selon moi, protéger l’environnement est vraiment important parce que si nous ignorions le changement climatique, il y aurait plus d'occasions de sécheresse, d'inondations et d'ouragans.

À l'avenir, mon école devrait enseigner aux élèves de changement climatique pour qu’ils soient motivés pour protéger l’environnement en faisant du recyclage, réutilisant les choses.

En plus, il faut que mon école utilise l'énergie de l’eau, du vent et du soleil. À la place du directeur de mon école, je réduirais la quantité de viande au déjeuner à la cantine et planterais plus d’arbres dans les espaces verts pour améliorer la qualité d’air.

-Matty Rolfe

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e l i F t c a F i a Dub explores its Arth Gupta, a resident of Dubai, environment in this Fact File.

Dubai is naturally a desert. Around 80% of the UAE is desert.

Dubai does not have any natural rivers or oases- but it does have a natural saltwater inlet- called the Dubai Creek.

Most of Dubai's drinkable water comes from desalination plants that turn seawater drinkable using heat.

In 1966, oil was discovered in Dubai, propelling a fairly poor nation into one of the richest.

Originally, Dubai relied on petroleum for power- the power has changed dramatically since then, building the largest solar farm and making it mandatory for buildings to use solar energy by 2030.

Dubai was condemned for its use of CO2, using as much as double that of European countries. It is now looking forward to a more sustainable future.

Dubai has started improving on its carbon emissions, starting by introducing shiny new driverless metro lines, which many citizens prefer over cars.

Regardless of the fact that Dubai's climate is often like a desert, it has ordered the building of several new outdoor parks.

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POLYGLOT Issue 18