Our planet is being heavily depleted at present by the insatiable demands of an expanding human population and a culture that is driven by the unsustainable dogma of endless economic growth. On every continent natural forests and other ecosystems are in decline, rivers and the air are polluted, topsoil is being lost and the land poisoned with herbicides and pesticides. The oceans are being overfished, we’re in early stages of the 6th mass extinction event in the Earth’s history, this one caused entirely by humans, and anthropogenically induced climate breakdown threatens our culture and life as we know it today. It’s clear that we need a completely different way of living, with a positive focus that will create a truly viable future for both humans and all other life on Earth.
This presentation is based on the premise that we need to pull together, as all humanity, irrespective of country, culture, religion etc, and that the first essential shared task ahead of us is Restoring the Earth. By working with Nature, rather than against her, we can accelerate and strengthen the natural healing abilities of ecosystems and landscapes, to return the planet to full ecological health and abundance, whilst also creating a more fulfilling and sustainable future for people.
The presentation begins by outlining the scope and scale of our impacts on the planet, and then focuses on the solution to many of them – ecological restoration. That is the work which helps ecosystems and landscapes return to life again, and I draw on examples from both the restoration of the Caledonian Forest in Scotland and other projects around the world.
For restoration to be effective at the global scale that is necessary, major changes are required in human culture, to bring our lives back in balance with the rest of Nature again. The talk outlines some of the most significant of these, and then sets out an inspiring positive future scenario for what could happen if the main focus of human endeavours in the 21stcentury does indeed become Restoring the Earth.
If you would like me to give this talk to a group or at an event, please contact me.