Chris Gill

Archive for the ‘Environmental’ Category

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Beyond the Blue

In Environmental, Personal on July 15, 2012 at 1:01 pm

Living further away from the ocean has opened my eyes to the extent it needs protecting

One thing I really miss now that I live in the inner city is the sea. I’ve had a deep fascination with the ocean for as long as I can remember and have pretty much managed to always live close to it until I moved to London just over two years ago.  Although my experience living in the capital has been inspiring in many other ways, that yearning to be close to the water is left forever unfulfilled (a polluted river doesn’t count).

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what it is I love about the ocean. Maybe it’s the smell of the salty air, or the sight and sound of the crashing waves. Perhaps it’s the mysteries left untold about the corners of the ocean that remain undiscovered, or simply the incomparable feeling of peace, serenity and freedom that the ocean brings.

A more scientific argument could be that the total water surface area of the planet is 70.8%, in the same way that human beings are made up of 78% water. The link is undeniable and inescapable, so it’s no wonder why I and so many others feel such a connection to our oceans.

Whatever the reason, the chilling truth of the matter is that we are totally dependent on our oceans, but we are destroying them on an inconceivable scale. From polluting industries and climate change, to detrimental fishing and global whaling, the survival of entire marine ecosystems is being put under enormous threat as species and their habitats are being pushed towards extinction.

Polluting industries and detrimental fishing… that all sounds pretty out of our hands. So what difference can you and I make? Without wanting to sound patronising or preachy – I am in fact speaking to myself here as much as anybody else – we need to start making some small and simple yet extremely effective changes.

Relearn to Reuse

I am of course talking about sustainability. We need to break this modern day consumerist habit of using something once and throwing it away. Every day at work I see people throwing those incandescent orange Sainsbury’s bags into the bin without a second thought. Bringing your rucksack or tote bag to the supermarket is a simple solution to this.

I’m guilty of buying shiny new bottles of water whenever I’m on the go when I could quite easily refill the last once I bought with water from the tap. I’m a firm believer that the so called ‘mineral’ water we buy comes from the exact same place (just because an industry is producing something natural doesn’t make it any less corrupt than a fast-food outlet).

These are two simple changes to our lifestyles we can all make that will end up making an enormous difference. Learning to reuse plastic is something that should be drilled into our minds at a young age, like the importance of learning how to read or tie up our shoe laces.

We need to take a second before throwing that toxic plastic bag into the bin to think about where it will end up, which will most likely be drifting into the ocean.

The Next Step

Of course these are only the first steps to making changes that will have larger environmental impact. Once you get started it becomes addictive, and as far as addictions go – environmentalism is a great one to have.

So the next step is to start asking yourself questions like “what did I do today?”, “Did I leave my TV on standby all night?”, “Did I make unnecessary journeys in my car?”, “Did I stay in the shower a few minutes longer than I really needed to?”

Nearly every little thing we do effects our environment on a larger and more long-term scale. From the amount of packaging the products we buy come with, to the amount of time we spend brushing our teeth in the morning, it is our responsibility and ultimate destiny to look after this big beautiful rock that we all have to share.

Of course, from arrogant decisions the government make to overfishing carried out by greedy corporations, there are bigger issues and influences that are mostly out of control. The sad truth is that when money and power is involved, nature is not always considered first.

However, I believe that politics starts at home and you truly do have to be the change you want to see in the world. These might sound like tired old clichés, but they should be spoken and remembered until people finally act on them.

What I love the most about the ocean is how it appears never-ending. From the largest whale to the tiniest microörganism, its vast and endless appeal makes me feel like anything is possible. It represents the hope and ambition we all have for a better world, whether we realise and act on it or not.

The unfortunate truth is we are running out of time to prevent irreversible damage to our seas, and the rest of the planet, so we need to start making dramatic changes to the way we live.

Starting right now.

If you want to learn more about how you can make a bigger difference to the problems our oceans are facing, visit Greenpeace or Save our Seas. Don’t forget to spread the word.

News Spreads Faster Than Any Tsunami

In Environmental, News on March 12, 2011 at 8:27 pm

My mother called me yesterday morning to inform me of the second natural disaster that has occurred already this year. Yet to have my caffeine fix, rubbing my eyes and wondering what time it was, I half listened to what she was telling me.

“I just thought I would let you know before you hear all about it at work. If the wave reaches here it won’t be big enough to have an effect.” My family lives in Auckland, a city far away enough from Christchurch for them not to have been affected by the earthquake that took place in New Zealand last month. Not that this made the catastrophe any less tragic or devastating, but of course it was comforting to know that my loved ones were safe.

As I squeezed honey into my morning oats and waited for the kettle to boil I scrolled through the news applications on my iPhone trying to decipher exactly what my mother had just told me. An earthquake in Japan that had produced a tsunami. It sounded like yet another Hollywood blockbuster with an anachronistic plot. Most probably starring a bunch of washed out actors looking for some A-list resurrection. As I scrolled through the images and copy on my phone however, it began to dawn on me that this was no movie. I was starting to wish that it was.

By the time I reached work I could already see the editorial team of New Civil Engineer glued to YouTube watching the unbelievable scenes of destruction. I logged into my own computer and began to watch the enormous wave of muddy water sweeping through cars and houses at the speed of a jumbo jet and felt my jaw drop. So far three people were thought to be dead and others missing.

Before I knew it I was hit by a wave of phone calls, emails and other endless to-do’s, that all seemed so trivial in comparison to what was taking place elsewhere in the world. As soon as it got to lunchtime I found myself compulsively checking into my favourite news sites to be updated with the latest from Japan. The death toll had reached a hundred, many were injured and even more missing as the world watched on in horror. The news began to properly sink in. Japan’s most powerful earthquake in centuries had struck triggering fires, deadly 10m waves and tsunami alerts across at least 20 countries including Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. No wonder the texts had started to flood in asking me in which part of New Zealand my parents live. Sadly, this was not the first time this had happened this year.

As I wrote my last email of the day and left work at exactly half past five, I spotted the shocking pictures of the quake and tsunami spread over the front page of The Evening Standard. Once home I opened up my laptop and continued to follow the stories progress. The massive 8.9 magnitude quake had hit the north of the country 230 miles from Tokyo, forming a tsunami that swept a ship away carrying more than 100 people in it. By now over 300 people were thought to be dead and of course the ‘as of yet no known Brits’ sentence had started poking its ugly way into online articles (I find the nationality of death statistics to be irrelevant).

When I woke up this morning I felt a pang of dismay at the words “death toll risen to more than 1,000” followed by “Tens of thousands missing”. Facebook status’ and Tweets were filled with commiserations and condolences towards all those affected in the tragedy that had taken place in Japan not only twenty four hours ago. As I reached the supermarket to do my weekly shop I was greeted immediately by every broadsheet and tabloid displaying the words ‘APOCALYPSE’ and ‘DESTRUCTION’ beside photographs of red flames and blue whirlpools. It would appear that I had experienced this dreadful, heartbreaking event from its start to where it is now through all the many forms of media and communication that exist in our culture. Once again it proves how fortunate and privileged we are to live in an age and society where we are so connected to the rest of the world and can be kept so up-to-date with what is happening outside of our own tunnelled-vision.

Of course, none of the sad adjectives I, or any other journalist, blogger or other human being writes can even begin to express how the world is feeling today. As a race, we have a peculiar way of blowing each other up and starting futile wars. Ultimately though, Mother Nature works in the most unpredictable and shocking ways that leave us both stunned and silent. So as fast as the countless articles that have been written on this disaster, or as fast as the new media that helps these stories travel, sometimes there are no words that can express the magnitude of an occurrence like this and its aftermath. Sometimes it is simply time to be silent and to give prayer.

Thoughts, prayers and memories to all those affected and yet to be affected by the Sendai earthquake and tsunami of 11/03/11.

The Hidden World of Animal Trading

In Environmental on March 8, 2011 at 10:31 pm

It may come as some surprise to you, as it did to me, to learn that animal smuggling has grown to a six billion dollar per year criminal industry, and is surpassed only by the drugs and arms trades. It’s illegal income is a huge source of funding for terrorist groups, including al-Qa’ida, and the slaughtering of animals is forcing many species to the edge of extinction.

Despite the international treaties and campaign groups, this illicit trade continues to expand. The amount of rhinos poached in South Africa doubled last year, sea turtles are being lost at an astounding rate, twenty thousand elephants are killed each year for their ivory and the planet’s tiger population has dropped from one hundred thousand at the start of the twentieth century to below four thousand today. As each year goes by, the trade also takes human lives too. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, more than one hundred African rangers are murdered as they are unequipped to defend themselves from the money hungry poachers.

According to a widespread study of the big cat trade (conducted by the wildlife NGO Traffic last year), bones, paws and male genitalia from tigers and leopards are used as aphrodisiacs, particularly in Mong La – a northen state of Burma, where a huge sex industry operates. Chinese customers were being sold tiger-bone wine which was being marketed as a health tonic, even bear bile is used to “treat” a mixture of health problems from fever to swollen eyes in these communities. I find it deeply disturbing that the human race can simply turn a blind eye on something so clearly cruel and unnecessary.

The money in the industry is of course colossal. Rare and colourful birds such as the Lear’s macaw, an ocean-blue parrot from the Amazon, are thought to be one of the most in-demand species on the black market. It was reported that in 2008, the bird was estimated at $90,000 per bird and now it is believed that there are only 960 of the birds left in the world. Meanwhile, a pound of tiger glue – made from the animals’ bones, was selling in Vietnam for $2,000 that same year. The astounding list continues, exemplifying the amount some people are willing to pay for something so valuable that it simply shouldn’t be bought.

So what can be done to bring an end to this awful affair? Awareness campaigns are of course one of the fundamental ways for the Western world to discover whether a species is endangered, and therefore illegal to purchase. Websites such as TRAFFIC – The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network, assist with bringing this fundamental knowledge to Westerners.

TRAFFIC, a leader in the field of conservation as it links to wildlife trade, has a highly regarded reputation as a reliable and unbiased organization TRAFFIC was founded in 1976 and has since evolved into a global network.  Driven by investigation and action, TRAFFIC is committed to delivering pioneering and practicable conservation solutions based on the most up-to-date research.

“TRAFFIC’s Vision is of a world in which trade in wild plants and animals is managed at sustainable levels without damaging the integrity of ecological systems and in such a manner that it makes a significant contribution to human needs, supports local and national economies and helps to motivate commitments to the conservation of wild species and their habitats.” - Traffic.org

When it comes to making a fortune through the blood of our planet’s rare and beautiful creatures, what will it take to bring an end to the immorality of man? I guess if it takes a few killings to make a financial killing, a blind eye is even easier to turn than I had anticipated.


Cities of the Future

In Environmental, Interior Design & Architecture, Technology on January 8, 2011 at 6:56 pm

One of man’s greatest concerns for the future is how it will cope with the problem of the ever-growing population. This year the seven-billionth person will be born, and in my lifetime alone the planet’s population has increased by an astounding 2 billion people. Living in a city like London I am constantly reminded of this, whether it be through the claustrophobic chaos on the tube or simply trying to make my way through the crowded streets. It appears that Japan is light years ahead of the rest of the world as usual, with developments already under way to create super cities built to tackle this issue.

Constantly intrigued and inspired by how the world will look in the future, I was delighted to stumble across a documentary on a Pyramid City being planned for construction in Tokyo that will be finished by the year 2110. The Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid is a project being proposed for construction over Tokyo Bay in Japan, and would be about 14 times higher than the Great Pyramid at Giza. It would house 750,000 people and if built, would be the largest man-made structure in Earth’s history by a very vast percentage.

The fascinating documentary, part of the Extreme Engineering series shown on the Discovery Channel, goes into fascinating detail about the structure which would stand 730 meters above sea level. The pyramid would help to solve the issue of Tokyo’s increasing lack of space, although it will still only handle 1/47th of the cities population. Due to their weight, the structure would be so large that it could not be built with currently available materials. The design is relying on the future availability of super-strong lightweight materials based on carbon nanotubes.

Another example of Tokyo avoiding the dilemma of its over population, is the proposal of creating Sky City 1000. The possible future urban skyscraper would be a fantastic way of ending the extreme congestion and lack of greenspace in the city. The project’s plan consists of a building 1,000 metres tall and 400 metres wide at the base. The structure would house between 35,000 and 36,000 full-time residents as well as 100,000 workers, meaning civilians could potentially spend their entire life within the super city.

Sky City 1000 would be made up of 14 concave dish-shaped stacks upon one another. The bionic architecture’s interior would contain greenspace and apartments, which would be on the edges and sides of the structure. It would also include theatres, schools and other modern amenities and commercial facilities. Researchers have started to speculate that a building such as Sky City 1000 could be possible in the next 20 years, and the triple-decker high speed elevators which would be used in the building are  already being designed in labs outside Tokyo.

Some of the main issues that surround these super cities, are the environmental dangers that could put them at enormous risk. An example of this in Japan is the threat of tsunamis and other momentous weather conditions that could threaten to destroy the futuristic structures. However researchers are certain that a structure made of a material as strong as one based on nanotubing will be able to withstand such colossal natural disasters. Therefore super cities of the future such as The Shimizu Mega-City and Sky City 1000 could actually protect the rest of the city and save thousands of lives.

So what do you think? Are Tokyo’s visions of the future fantastic remedies for the planet’s over-population, or potential death traps in the sky?

The Waste Land

In Environmental on December 13, 2010 at 6:30 pm

Have you ever wondered what happens to your old computer or mobile phone once you are finished with them? We all know that we live in a throw-away culture where we are encouraged to dispose of our technology to make sure we keep up with the latest must-have gadgets. The very screen you are reading these words from will most probably end up on a scrap heap in the Middle East or Asia in a few years. That is unless reading this article changes your mind on how you dispose of your electronic waste. I know the research I undertook to write it has changed mine.

E-waste is often exported by developed countries to those in the third world, even though doing this is usually in violation of the international law. In 2005, inspections of 18 European seaports found as much as 47% of waste destined to be disseminated overseas, was illegal. At least 23,000 metric tonnes of undeclared ‘grey’ market electronic waste in the UK alone was illegally shipped in 2003 to the Far East, Africa, China and India.

In the year 2000, mainland China tried to end this awful trade by banning the import of e-waste into the country. Unfortunately, this has not stopped e-waste from arriving in Guiya of Guangdong Province which is the main centre for e-waste disposal in China. Organisations such as Greenpeace have also found a growing e-waste trade problem in India and Pakistan.

Back in the nineties, the EU, Japan and some US states created e-waste ‘recycling’ systems. However many countries were not, and are still not, equipped to deal with the sheer quantity of e-waste they generate. This includes not being equipped with the hazards of e-waste such as toxic fumes that they produce. As a result of this, they began to export this issue to developing countries to handle.

To prevent this issue from continuing and worsening it really does begin with us. As consumers of technology in the Westernised world, it is most definitely our responsibility that we consider the after effects of disposing of our electronic waste and where it will end up. When you are looking to upgrade your devices at the end of their lifetime, or if they are simply not cost-effective to fix, the best option is to recycle that piece of technology. This may sound obvious, but it is shocking how many people would simply think to throw their old gadgets away. You can receive cash for your old iPod, iPhone or laptop even if broken. This way, the parts of each gadget will be disposed of in an earth-friendly way or reused in other electronic devices. Therefore, the electronic circle of life continues without anyone being harmed.

This process is so simple and it must be included into our everyday lives before we run out of time. Our beautiful planet is being destroyed by our own acts and if we continue to be dictated by our materialistic ways we will permanently harm the health of the earth for future generations. It is time we start treating the planet like we would our own homes and thinking of all other countries as our neighbours.

Find out more about how you can get involved in preventing e-waste on the Greenpeace website here.

Chris Gill

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