What a Baboon...

Restaurant critic AA Gill has come under attackby animal welfare groups, among others, following his revelation that he shot and killed a baboon whilst on a safari trip 'to get a sense of what it might be like to kill someone'.

What disturbs me, aside from the pointless suffering and death of an innocent animal, is Gill's apparent pride in this. Indeed, the article (published in the Sunday Times here) purports to be a review of a London restaurant, however, Gill's very opener is

I shot a baboon in Africa, last Wednesday, just after lunch. Shot it dead. Those of you of a nervous disposition should look away now. This article contains graphic scenes and may upset the sensitive.

Now, I suggest that one need not be sensitive to be upset by this assertion. Should all civilised people not feel at least slightly uneasy about the pointless slaughter of a non-threatening creature for curiousity's sake (not to mention the dubious issues of a UK national flying to another country to kill its animals)? It is not the graphic description that offends us - on the contrary, those that campaign for fair treatment of animals aren't all squeamish cowards who can't face blood and death. In their desire to stop suffering, they choose to face it square on.

So, it's hard to know what to be more annoyed about - the inhumane and frivolous killing or Gill's childish desire to show off about it like a little boy who has stamped on a spider when he knows it's wrong. Indeed, he does know it's wrong, that's what makes him proud - his eagerness to show what a wild maverick he can be:

I know perfectly well there is absolutely no excuse for this. There is no mitigation. Baboon isn’t good to eat, unless you’re a leopard. The feeble argument of culling and control is much the same as for foxes: a veil for naughty fun.

Who's the real animal now? The baboon who kills for survival or the man who derives pleasure from a power trip over a defenceless animal with guns and trucks and big boys' comraderie?

For those who want to comment, check out the Guardian's discussion thread here...

Today!

So, today is Blog Action Day on Climate Change. Bloggers are asked to reference climate change in whatever way it relates to their usual topic. As this blog is largely on, well, the environment, it's hard to know what to write...

I guess the most basic fact that needs to be conveyed to people who don't usually take an interest in this topic is that Climate Change is a reality. It is a certainty, not a possibility. It is not a problem we may face in the future, but one which is effecting irreparable damage on our planet right now, which is endangering and making extinct many species of both flora and fauna as we wait and, perhaps most strikingly, causing homelessness, the spread of disease, poverty and death to many people. It might be an inconvenience to accept this and to acknowledge that we must make changes which are sometimes simple, but other times demand commitment, compromise, renunciation or investment. We might feel that we cannot afford to give the time or money that would make the difference. But the question is really if we can afford not to. And if we can live with ourselves when we don't.

At the moment, the injustice of climate change is that the largest responsibility lies at the feet of we long-term industrialised nations. Though we may hold emerging economies responsible for their rapid and energy inefficient development, the fact is that we are accountable. We have not only already experienced the changes that these countries are now undergoing, but we have failed to develop a model for ourselves that promotes sustainability. This gives us little right in offering advice to other continents and none in criticising their activity. Had we placed protection of the planet's climate higher on the prioritiy list, we would already have found many of the solutions we now seek and would have been in a position to offer them to our international counterparts.

At the moment, those who are paying the price for our shortsighted greed are precisely those who have been marginalised by it. Those who have driven economic development at the cost of all else have exploited the very people who are now suffering the effects of the environmental damange that it has brought about. We have to come to terms with this shameful past and to fight to change it, just as we had to accept the injustice of and overthrow the slave trade two centuries ago.

If our planet and humankind is to stand any chance in the fight against climate change, we need to work together. We need all people possible to come together: there is no option for those who are relatively unaffected to continue thus, ignoring the plight of others. Even in the short term, we will all soon start to pay the price for our blinkered vision and refusal to change. Those in Europe and the US are not going to be immune to the damage that climate chaos will deliver, it knows no boundaries - we already see increased flooding, unsteadied weather systems, more hurricanes... How much more will it take for us to accept that it is imperative that we act immediately? Are we really willing to let people in the so-called 'Southern countries' face drought, flooding, and climate chaos and associated problems until we get to an unliveable situation in the West to act?

Future generations are going to demand answers of us. How did we let this happen? Let's not quibble about how serious the problem might or might not be. Let's accept it's serious enough to demand all our attention and focus our energy on tackling it rather than talking about whether we need to act yet.

Let's fight for our future and our children's and let's put ourselves in a position to answer their future questions.

Blog Action Day

Just a note to let everyone know that tomorrow is Blog Action Day and this year's theme is... Climate Change!

'Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.'

I hardly need add that I'm thrilled to see that Climate Change has been selected as this year's topic, and this based on a survey of bloggers as to what the most pressing issues are that need collective action. A good sign that criticial mass on the importance and urgency of impending (and indeed current) environmental catastrophe is gathering amongst all online communities. Now we just need to make sure that it reaches its deservedly high spot on the political (both small and large 'p') agendas. Hopefully this will be a useful tool...

Any bloggers on any topic are encouraged to post tomorrow and to reference Climate Change and how it relates to their usual topic. For mor intofmation, see http://www.blogactionday.org/ or watch the instruction and information video below:

Back

Right,

This post isn't to contain any content, but just to put out the message that I have decided to revive this blog.

For a long time I haven't felt I could afford the time to keep up this blog, but now I have come to the conculsion that I can't afford not to do it. So, in the coming months, I will be attempting to awaken this old blog and update it and to start commenting on a few more topical ongoings and events.

Till soon...