Environment Day, and Grounds for Hope

Sunday 5th June marked World Environment Day, which made us think of a recent trip we took to Jersey, where I learned more about the inspiring work of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust around the world, saving species, one by one, rebuilding habitats, often re-introducing to the wild species that might otherwise have been lost.

It is striking to see a Gorilla pressing its fingers against the glass in recognition of the hand of a visiting child, or an Orangutan spreading a sack on its hay with a gesture like a mother spreading a quilt on the bed. There is much to reflect on in considering the potential value of a single species, whether it is a Bali Mynah bird, a rare Oriole rescued from the smouldering volcanic eruption of Monserrat, or a Ploughshare Tortoise saved from animal trafficking in Madagascar. We hope to persuade one of the experts from the Trust to write us an article on biodiversity, what it really means, why it matters, and how closely linked it is to climate change.

Twitter - The Royal Family

With those images in mind, it was amazing to see Buckingham Palace lit up as a rainforest and an ocean for the Platinum Party at the Palace, and to have Prince William marking the Platinum Jubilee of HM the Queen with a speech about the environment and its heroes, and climate, and the achievements of young people, and hope:

As he said:

“As I watch those extraordinary images, it does make me think of all the monumental and pioneering work of so many visionary environmentalists that have gone before.

I’m so proud that my grandfather and my father have been part of those efforts. And I’m in awe of people like the great Sir David Attenborough, who look at the beauty and power of our Earth and then work to celebrate and preserve it.

I think of Rachel Carson from America, Wangari Maathai from Kenya, Sunita Narain from India and so many others...

Today, in 2022 – as the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee – the pressing need to protect and restore our planet has never been more urgent.

But like her, I am an optimist. Decades of making the case for taking better care of our world has meant that environmental issues are now at the top of the global agenda.

More and more businesses and politicians are answering the call. And – perhaps most inspiringly – this cause is now being spearheaded by an amazing and united generation of young people across the world.

Congratulations to all of them – they won’t accept the status quo, they won’t accept that change is too difficult to deliver. Never before have we had so much power to change the big things.”

Click the links below for further information on:

Rachel Carson of the USA, author of Silent Spring and one of the great founders of today’s environmental movement.

Wangari Maathai of Kenya, environmentalist, author of Unbowed, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Sunita Narain of India, a groundbreaking environmentalist.