Evergreen Online

The Newsletter of Wirral Environmental Network

September - November 2004

1. Survey Shame: Britons Unsure of Climate Costs

2. Time Capsule Event 2004: George and Garnette Bowler's review of the day

3. Pollution hides global warming

Survey Shame

A total of 1,007 British adults were questioned between 16 and 18 July by ICM for the Climate Change Special for BBC News 24 and BBC One. Climate change came last of the list of important issues facing the UK, chosen by 53%, though 64% said it was one of the most important problems facing the world.

More than half (60%) said global warming would best be tackled at a global level, with 5% wanting Europe to set the pace, and 9% thinking individual households were best placed to act. Asked whether changes in personal behaviour would make a difference, 54% said yes and 44% no. Despite that, 85% said they would be prepared to make changes, with only 13% dissenting.

The changes people were prepared to make included recycling more household waste (96%), using less energy at home (92%), using cars less (68%), and taking fewer flights (62%). Only 51% said they would be prepared to pay more to fly, and just 37% would agree to pay more for petrol.

Most respondents claimed some familiarity with the subject: 23% said they knew a lot about climate change and 58% a little. A total of 90% thought the UK would feel some impact, with 47% expecting "a lot" of effects, and 43% "a little".

Extreme weather was seen as the likeliest impact (80%), with 68% saying the country would become wetter, 62% hotter - and 36% colder. 18% of respondents said it was too early to say whether human or natural causes were more to blame for climate change - 64% said human activities were more culpable. Of those, 67% blamed road and air transport, 66% the felling of trees, and 57% power generation from coal and oil.

Yet despite the levels of knowledge and concern that the questioning revealed, 43% of respondents said they expected climate change to have not very much effect on them personally, with 9% saying it would have no effect at all. Perhaps this goes some way to explain the frustration of those convinced that climate change is a huge threat.

Until we believe it will make a difference to us and to our children, we are unlikely to take it seriously enough to do anything very much about it. On this showing, more than half of us still expect it will leave us largely unscathed. So it remains a problem for someone else to worry about.

Link: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3143798.stm

It would have been easy to bury the capsule in 1994, and then forget about our Letter of Apology to future generations as well as our pledge to do our best to ensure that they inherit a better world - and thus make the apology unnecessary. A committed group of W.E.N. members have kept this project alive by gathering annually at Ness Gardens since 1994 as a public event, to renew our promise and to attract the public. Such gatherings mean that old friends meet up regularly and everyone enjoys the music and drama now performed by young people - namely the Wirral Schools' Brass Band and the Wirral Academy Of Performing Arts.

At last we were able to get Professor David Bellamy as our special guest at Ness. He had been involved with the Project from the outset and was in fact present at the burial of the capsule at Kew in 1994.

Our afternoon together at Ness on the 13th June was very well attended and no doubt the prospect of entertaining contributions by David Bellamy was very attractive. The event ended with a "dual session" in the Lecture Theatre by John Guillebaud, Emeritus Professor at University College, London, a long standing Patron of WEN and creator of the Project. His topic was an impressive presentation on the explosion of human numbers globally during recent decades and some implications. David Bellamy followed with a fascinating talk on plants, people and the future of the planet. The theatre was packed for this session.

A new revised edition of THE PROMISE was on sale. This is a unique publication of a selection of young people's poems, ideas and drawings about their concerns in 1994 and for the future, together with some press reports from overseas and photographs of events in the UK and elsewhere. Copies are available from Garnette and George (0151 652 1026) at £2.00 each including p&p.

Until June 12th 2005, we send our good wishes and meanwhile look forward to seeing even more WEN supporters at Ness Botanic Gardens on another fine summer's day. Regards - George and Garnette Bowler

Link: www.ecotimecapsule.com

The earth could heat up more quickly as the cooling effect of pollution is reduced, Meinrat Andreae told a London conference at the end of August.

He believes aerosols - tiny particles of pollution suspended in the air - help to cool the earth. As these are expected to diminish in coming decades, global warming will happen faster. The aerosols are caused by various forms of pollution including burning wood and coal. Their exact influence on the climate under is debate but it is thought they have an overall cooling effect as they reflect sunlight away from the earth.

The scientist told the major international air pollution conference this "climate protection" is likely to diminish in the future. He believes scientists may have underestimated greenhouse gases' effect on the climate because of the particles' cooling effect. Predictions of the rise in global temperatures may therefore have to be revised upwards.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3928017.stm