‘Cheltenham Literature Festival’ by Michael White was originally written for and can be found in vol.10, Issue 2, of Space Newspaper.
Cheltenham Literature Festival has been one of the highlights of my year. This year, by accident, the events I attended tackled the effects humans are having on nature. Mark Carwardine and Stephen Fry spoke at Cheltenham Racecourse about their documentary ‘Last Chance to See’ where they travelled the globe searching for endangered animal species. Tim Smit discussed what drove him to start the ‘Eden Project’ and how he stumbled upon the ‘Gardens of Heligan’. There is no doubt that the Cheltenham Literature Festival has changed many of my views concerning the importance of our planet.
Despite this whenever the phrase ‘Global Warming’ is mentioned I have to confess that my eye does twitch. Perhaps this is caused by my fascination of Jeremy Clarkson’s writing a couple of years ago. Although it could be mostly attributed to the words Nigel Lawson has brought to the climate change debate. His book “An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming” shook the very foundations of the debate. Nigel Lawson didn’t disprove with the effects climate change is having on our planet but instead motioned human activities cannot be entirely to blame. He also attacked the view that the effects of climate change would be cataclysmic but instead would be far more moderate. In a very rare moment the journalist and prolific author Christopher Hitchens commented that whether or not climate change is caused by our endeavour we have to conclude it is happening. We have no real understanding of what the effects will be but we have the ability to slow down the process of climate change. Although the more cynical may comment that it is now too late to stop the process.
It was when a young eager girl addressed Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine with the question, “Perhaps we should just let nature run its course?” that my views changed. The only reason that we can ask such questions about nature is because we have the power to stop animal species from becoming endangered. Without realising it we can play God over the animal Kingdom. How do we decide which animals should become extinct or live on? Mark Carwardine described the ecosystem of our planet as a game of Pick Up Sticks. The aim of the game is to remove a stick at a time without moving the other sticks. Let’s imagine that each stick represents an animal species. It might be possible to remove one stick without disturbing the others but in all likelihood the other sticks will shift very slightly. Eventually we will get to a point where the removal of a stick will cause the above ones to fall down completely. This is the game we, humans, are having on the planet.
An insect such as the Mosquito could simply be viewed as an HIV spreading tool which the world would be better without. Even the willy latching candirú fish could be viewed by men as an abomination. Perhaps the evolutionary pathetic Kakapo or Panda deserve to go from the world? Examples of when natural selection has produced an animal inadequate to survive in this world. The removal or lack of protection of an endangered animal species may affect the ecosystem in ways which we are currently unable to comprehend.
Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine tackled the endangered animal species whilst Tim Smit discussed endangered plant species as part of his talk on the Eden Project. In August I was fortunate enough to attend the Eden Project and witness the list of endangered plant species for myself. Plants are often forgotten about when discussing the disheartening concept of extinction. There is no doubt that plants have a direct consequence on our lives. Plants produce our tea and coffee, fill our cigarettes with tobacco, make chocolate possible, provide us with clothes, provide our pharmaceutical drugs, season our food, give us food and even make recyclable packaging possible. It is with a sense of irony that rain forests are being knocked down to make way for a single species of plant to make companies seem more environmentally friendly. Whilst there is free space for companies to plant in the Amazon Rainforest many companies knock down more trees so that they can make money from the timber. When this happens species of plant and animal are reduced once again and it is only a matter of time before a species of plant or animal is removed completely.
The Cheltenham Literature Festival is a place to discover new knowledge, understand up to date issues and meet your favourite celebrities. If you were not able to attend this year then I highly recommend you attend the festival next year.
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