The views of Chris Packham (left) and the tragedy of Grenfell Tower (right) have both been discussed by English Green.
What’s the connection between Chris Packham and the Grenfell Tower fire? The answer is that both have been subjects of mature, rational and healthy debates on the Facebook site of English Green
https://www.facebook.com/Members and supporters of the National Liberal Party may be familiar with English Green. It’s a group ‘interested in ecology and its relationship with all aspects of human activity. How we co-exist with the flora and fauna and how we conduct ourselves in an ecologically healthy manner and how we achieve a spiritual and material well-being are of particular interest.’
For those who don’t know, Chris Packham is a naturalist, television presenter, writer, photographer, conservationist, campaigner, filmmaker and patron of Population Matters (1).
English Green used a quote from Chris Packham to kick off a new series – Words Of Wisdom – which will use quotes from various folks who are interested in protecting the environment. Both English Green and Chris Packham are very interested in – and concerned at – the relationship between the environment and population growth. As he notes:
“I remember when this was all fields full of birds and butterflies.” It’s a cliché isn’t it . . . but those words frequently describe changes most adults have seen if they have been fortunate enough to spend time in the countryside. It’s also a powerful metaphor for the wider situation we find ourselves in today. You see, our natural world is forced into competition with the unnatural world we humans create – and it is losing. It is losing badly and this destructive competition will inevitably continue as long as human numbers are growing.
The Grenfell Tower fire (which occurred on 14 June) was also dicussed on the English Green Facebook site. Firstly, sympathy was extended to the residents of the 24-story Grenfell Tower and it was noted that the scenes shown on TV news were like something from a disaster film. Hopefully, any future inquiry will pinpoint exactly what went wrong.
It was also that if the fire should also act as a wake up call to all environmentalists – who must ask hard questions about England’s cities, population size and the nature of housing.
All believed that the population of England – indeed, the population of the world – was way too large and beyond sustainable. Ironically, it was felt that the rapidly expanding population of England led to the construction of tower blocks in various cities and large towers. However, the concensus was that high rises (especially those too high for fire services to reach – a totally mad idea) are not a great idea. In effect they were, and still are, a ‘stack a prole’ experiment gone wrong. Put simply, they simply cram too many people into too little space.
So what to do with the population of England? Here views differed – some folks supported a scheme whereby people were moved away from the cities. It was pointed out that London in particular – and the South East in general – is way too big. Any move away from the cities should be managed in a sustainable way: there’s no point in moving thousands of people to small towns and villages if there’s no infrastructure available. A policy of building more ‘traditional’ forms of housing was also called for, but this housing was to be as environmentally friendly as is possible.
Others believed that it would be wrong to take people out of the cities and put them in the countryside. It was noted that to be green and sustainable, people need to live where they work or as close to it as possible and generally speaking the majority of employment opportunities are in the cities and large towns NOT the countryside. Also, if everyone was moved to the countryside it would cease to be ‘the countryside.’
The population debate is continuing over several threads. If you’re interested in this subject (or anything else relating to the environment and/or animal welfare) then you’re more than welcome to join the English Green Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/167522623276444/ However, please note that it is a forum for serious people only – it is a place where the issues facing England are discussed and solutions found – so any ‘disrupters’ will not be tolerated. All debates are moderated but non-conformist views are welcome, especially if they help jolt people into thought and action.I would prefer that people were moved away from the cities. London in particular – and the South East in general – is way too big. Of course, any move of population away from the cities should be managed in a sustainable way. There’s no point in moving thousands of people to towns or villages if there’s no infrastructure available.
I’d also like to see a return to more ‘traditional’ low-rise housing. Any new housing should be as environmentally friendly as possible. Carbon neutral houses built from recycled materials should become the norm.
truck me as a way of housing humans in chicken coops. In many senses, they really are a disaster waiting to happen.
I would prefer that people were moved away from the cities. London in particular – and the South East in general – is way too big. Of course, any move of population away from the cities should be managed in a sustainable way. There’s no point in moving thousands of people to towns or villages if there’s no infrastructure available.
I’d also like to see a return to more ‘traditional’ low-rise housing. Any new housing should be as environmentally friendly as possible. Carbon neutral houses built from recycled materials should become the norm.
I would prefer that people were moved away from the cities. London in particular – and the South East in general – is way too big. Of course, any move of population away from the cities should be managed in a sustainable way. There’s no point in moving thousands of people to towns or villages if there’s no infrastructure available.
I’d also like to see a return to more ‘traditional’ low-rise housing. Any new housing should be as environmentally friendly as possible. Carbon neutral houses built from recycled materials should become the norm.
‘Small is Beautiful’ is more than a slogan – it should become government policy.
Any thoughts?
To find out more about Chris Packahm, check out his personal web-site here http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/ and the web-site of Population Matters here https://www.populationmatters.org/
