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Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law? A Review

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Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law? a new documentary aired on Channel 4 last night (20th September) and it was one of the most thought-provoking, honest programmes I have watched in such a long time.

It’s not that often I feel compelled to review something I’ve seen on TV, the last time was Extinction: The Facts by David Attenborough. After watching Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law? I have to add my take.

Packham tries to make sense of the lack of urgency regarding the climate crisis from our government and wrestles with the dilemma of whether it’s ethically acceptable to break the law. Potentially, putting his own safety on the line.

TV presenter and nature lover Chris Packham believes the science; reports from The Climate Change Committee (CCC) and , The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have all printed the science facts behind climate change and what fossil fuels and it’s clear; it’s getting worse and we have to work together and put steps in place to avoid complete catastrophe. Despite these reports and the lack of any meaningful government policies, we are still pumping for oil, cutting down rainforests, and polluting our oceans seemingly without any regard for the future of the planet. All this despite the obvious effects as we’re seeing such as weather patterns becoming more extreme and are heading towards climate apocalypse. 

Chris Packham has “completely lost trust in the government and judiciary”

He asks himself – how far does he have to go? how far can he go? Is civil disobedience really an ethically responsible thing to do?

Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law?

For years, Chris Packham has been a peaceful democratic activist; joining marches, taking part in peaceful protest, writing posters but none of it, in his eyes, has worked.

He explores why protesters would risk their lives, knowing they could also be arrested and potentially imprisoned for protesting about climate change? What drives them? What makes ordinary people do this knowing it could lead to a jail sentence?

A young activist climbed up on the gantry on the M25 and stopped traffic. An incredible and dangerous act that could have resulted in losing her own life. Aired on social media, Heartbreakingly, she says “I’m here because I don’t have a future” with fear in her eyes and desperation in her voice.

Photo by Robin Erino: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crowd-of-people-marching-on-a-rally-2975498/

From a young age, schools ‘mould’ us to follow rules; don’t hit each other, put your hand up when you want to use the toilet, don’t jump the dinner queue. This continues into adulthood when following the rule of law and in everyday lives. Society only works when we follow rules; whether we agree with them or not. Although, there are some who break these rules, most of us are law-abiding.

I’m currently studying towards a BSc Environmental Science and I know human activity is accelerating climate change; I see it in the data and reports and it’s not something that should be ignored. Global temperatures are rising. It’s happening. We can’t go back into the past and change it but we can do something about what happens next. I wonder if direct action is needed and political opinions need to be put to one side to tackle global warming.

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-brown-bare-tree-on-brown-surface-during-daytime-60013/

What Are People in Power Saying?

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said “current policies are taking the world to a 2.8 degree temperature rise by the end of the century. We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open. It’s time to wake up”.

Packham speaks to Lord Deben, who is a Tory Peer, who chaired the Government’s Climate Change Committee in which the report that was published was “ruthlessly critical of the Government’s plans”. In Lord Deben’s opinion, the Government doesn’t have a proper plan to deliver the changes desperately needed.

Lord Deben continues “A whole generation of people are waking up to the fact that we have destroyed their future and either we recover it or they will have no future”.

Police have now been given powers to intervene in any peaceful marches/protests that are disruptive to others. Surely, the whole idea of a protest is to be disruptive?

Despite requests to speak to cabinet members, no-one wanted to speak to Packham. He did end up speaking to Lord Peter Lilley, who sits on the House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee and he feels the climate change issue has been overblown. It was incredibly disheartening to watch.

Who Are The Rule Breakers?

I remember seeing a placard that read ‘Every disaster movie starts with the government ignoring a scientist’. Day After Tomorrow is a prime example.

The Activists

When those in power seem to ignore the science, it’s not difficult to understand why organisations like Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, and Insulate Britain have formed. It’s the lack of urgency and any meaningful action by those in power which is truly terrifying. Despite the threat of arrests, imprisonment from law enforcement, and verbal, sometimes physical abuse, from those being inconvenienced, the activists continue.

There were two Just Stop Oil protesters who climbed up the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, in Dartford, in October 2022 and Packham asks how history will judge them?

Packham travels to speak to Andreas Malm, author and activist, about how peaceful protests aren’t working anymore which is leading to more radical measures arguing that ‘historically, social progress has frequently required a radical wing’.

Suffragettes

Packham touches on the subject of rule breakers in the past who are now cemented in history; a group called the Suffragettes, led by Emmeline Pankhurst, who believed in “deeds, not words”

Credit Raakhee Stratton – Taken 19th December 2021

The Suffragettes smashed windows, assaulted police officers, and committed arson. Pankhurst was arrested, as well as many other Suffragettes, and imprisoned many times. Let’s not even mention what happened to them in prison. He says “An enemy of the state at the time and yet now celebrated by it” by having her own statue in Westminster.

I know there are many who find the actions of the suffragettes inexcusable, to me, they were heroes.

Roger Hallam

Packham speaks to Roger Hallam, co-founder of Just Stop Oil, and feels the actions of Just Stop Oil activists MAY be effective. It’s difficult to tell immediately if something is working or not, time will tell. Hallam explains that from history, there have been trigger events which spark massive change. He prefers non-violent peaceful uprising from people who have had enough, referring to Gandhi’s salt march.

Greta Thunberg

Many around the world will be aware of Greta Thunberg. An environmental campaigner, she started her activism by missing school to sit outside her country’s parliament with a sign that stated “Skolstrejk för Klimatet” (School Strike for Climate) and she has no sign of stopping until there is meaningful change to stop climate breakdown. She’s been arrested and it hasn’t deterred her from still protesting. She’s spoken passionately on the world stage about how much we need change, and that we’re tired of lip-service.

What’s Next?

Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-a-sign-4669107/

Chris Packham battles with his conscience about doing what is potentially illegal and putting himself at great risk but wanting to be on the “right side of history”. Knowing that breaking the law is an imprisonable offence and includes a criminal record .

He’s not asking people to break the law, he outlines a number of lawful ways to get your voice heard. It’s about the actions HE is looking to take for HIMSELF.

We’ve seen ourself that the lack of policy change from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s UK government isn’t forthcoming.

Could I break the law? I’m not ashamed to admit that I am not brave enough to do this myself. However, I need to do more. At this stage, I don’t know what that looks like.

Packham’s personal journey has put into words, passionately, what many environmentalists are feeling and have been feeling for a long time. As one of the UK’s highest profile nature presenters, we will have to see what he does next. 

Sustainable Living ideas

Steps to Sustainable Living in Your Home

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I’m in the process of launching something I’m really excited about. A guide called Steps to Sustainable Living in Your Home.

Since I started this blog in January 2020, I’ve learned so much about sustainable living, a lot of which, I have adapted into my own lifestyle.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect, I’m still learning everyday and one person’s vision of sustainable living doesn’t always necessarily compare to someone else’s vision.

I remember at the beginning I was trying to change so many things in one go and found it so overwhelming. I wanted to live plastic-free, look at everything I was buying, only buy locally because the carbon footprint will be lower, companies I buy from and their view on sustainability, clothes that were environmentally friendly and so on.

What I quickly realised is that, by trying to do everything in one go, I wasn’t doing anything well. I was trying to change a habit I’ve had for the last 40 years in a short period of time, and I failed miserably.

I decided to take a step back and pick on one thing.

Looking back on where I am now from where I was, I realised how difficult it was to get information. Of course, the internet is jam packed with a wealth of information, but it’s knowing where to look and whether it’s reliable too.

I wish I had somewhere to start from; a guide, a handbook, a manual, something to steer me in the direction I wanted to go.

This was the reason I wrote Steps to Sustainable Living in Your Home. To be able to give you the chance to start your mission into sustainable living without the confusion and overwhelm I had. To pass on what I have learned so far, give you guidance on where to look for information about clothing materials and toxins found in cleaning products, what recycling symbols mean and what greenwashing actually is.

I’m not a scientist or an environmental professional, I am someone who is looking to help others live sustainably based on what I’ve learned so far.

Since the start, there’s something that has always come back to me:

I’m not sure if I heard it somewhere or if I came up with it myself, but I always say this to people.

So, you’re probably wondering, what’s in this guide?

✓ 8 sections – Introduction, Household Waste, Cleaning, Kitchen, Bathroom, Fashion, Carbon Footprint, Conclusion
✓ 13 accompanying PDF downloads
✓ Editable PDF downloads, no need to print them off
✓ Introduction videos for each section
✓ Lifetime access
✓  Work through the course in your own time

How much is the guide?

The full price of this guide will be £57. That’s it, less than a full tank of fuel.

To register your interest, please sign up below and you will be the first to hear when Steps to Sustainable Living in Your Home will go live.

Sustainable Living ideas

7 Eco-conscious Books For Children

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I love the idea of encouraging children to read and become eco-conscious. When I was a child, I remember my imagination taking on a life of its own when I would read a book. There’s something really magical about reading and nothing makes me happier than seeing a child with a book in their hand.

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As children will be inheriting this planet from us, I believe it’s important in encouraging an early understanding of the environment and what we can do to protect it (and ourselves!). They need to be eco-conscious.

I’ve put together a list of environmental reads perfect for children. There’s no time like the present to starting learning about the environment.

What A Waste: Rubbish, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet by Jess French

Ideal for age 7+

A beautifully illustrated book is filled with facts about the environment; some good, some bad and some ugly. It explains the impact we have on the planet by the things we do; wasting water, renewable energy and examples of single-use plastics we consume everyday. There’s also a section on alternative eco-conscious swaps to reduce your waste.

Buy from Waterstones

Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers About Plastic by Katie Daynes (author), Marie-Eve Tremblay (illustrator)

Ideal for age 3+

A great lift-the-flap book for teaching young children about plastic, how it affects the environment and recycling. The book is 14 pages with over 60 interactive flaps explaining how plastic ends up in the ocean and how it’s made. This is a colourful and informative book for little ones to learn about the environment.

Buy from Waterstones

Dear Greenpeace by Simon James

Ideal for age 3+

Dear Greenpeace by Simon James is such a sweet book about a little girl called Emily who finds a whale in her pond and is worried it is unhappy. She decides to seek advice from Greenpeace by writing to them. Emily clearly has a caring nature and wants the best for her whale.

Buy from Waterstones

Charlie and Lola: Look After Your Planet by Lauren Child

Ideal for age 3+

Charlie and Lola: Look After Your Planet by Lauren Child a lovely book, when Lola is cleaning up her room and Charlie explains to her that we have to keep using things again otherwise we will run out of everything. Lola decides to inspire her class and includes some ‘green promises’. A great read for young eco-conscious activists.

Buy from Waterstones

Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins (author), Vicky White (illustrator)

Ideal for age 5+

A beautifully illustrated book will help children understand the threats animals face, how they become endangered by human behaviour and why it’s important for us to protect them.

Buy from Waterstones

Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet by Kate Pankhurst

ideal for age 8+

Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet by Kate Pankhurst is a book with strong female role models from diverse backgrounds, the reader is taken through aspects of recycling, tackling the plastic problem, the importance of shopping fair trade and cruelty-free. Full of hope and encouragement, this book shows everyone has a part to play regardless of how big or small. Any change is still change.

Buy from Waterstones

You Can Save The Planet 101 Ways You Can Make a Difference by J. A. Wines (author), Clive Gifford (author), Sarah Horne (author)

Ideas for age 9+

You Can Save The Planet 101 Ways You Can Make a Difference is a great step-up for young activists to gain a deeper understaning of the destruction of our plants, global warming and the effects of pollution. Explaining the huge problem faced by global warming, it gives children hope as it is packed full with practical and smart ways children can make a differnce in their community.

Buy from Waterstones

If you have any recommendations, please feel free to share 💚

For older children, I wrote a blog about a book called  No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg

Sustainable Living ideas

What’s the issue with Palm Oil?

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Over the last few years I’ve seen articles and videos about the Palm Oil industry and how it’s bad for climate change.

I didn’t know what palm oil actually is and how can something that is found in so many everyday products be bad for the environment. What is it? Where does it come from? What everyday products contain it? Is sustainable palm oil really sustainable? What are the alternatives?

As someone who is studying towards a BSc in Environmental Science, I’m learning to question the source of a statistic; are they showing us the whole picture and what is their agenda.

Some organisations will only tell us what they want us to know because it fits within the agenda, that can sometimes mean the reader has been misled. I want to find out for myself what’s the issue with palm oil.

What is Palm Oil?

Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree. Its scientific term is Elaeis guineensis. It’s quite cheap and therefore popular. For example, Palm kernel oil is an edible plant oil which comes from the kernel of the oil palm tree.

Photo by Ihsan Adityawarman: https://www.pexels.com/photo/aerial-photography-of-trees-1643371/

Where does it come from?

Although, Oil Palm trees are native to West Africa, palm oil plantations occur in almost all tropical countries due to the hot climates around the world close to the equator, within 10 degrees north or south, and part of tropical rainforests that are rich in biodiversity, in particular, Southeast Asia and Latin America. According to Forbes the top five biggest producers of palm oil in 2019 were; Indonesia: 42.5 million metric tons, Malaysia: 19 million metric tons, Thailand: 2.8 million metric tons, Colombia: 1.53 million metric tons and Nigeria: 1.02 million metric tons. They’re all associated with the fruit of oil palm trees.

How is palm oil produced?

I think to understand it’s apparent link to deforestation how it affects local communities for indigenous peoples, loss of biodiversity, and how it affects endangered species, we need to briefly look at where oil palm cultivation comes from and the rise in its global demand. In order to produce palm oil, forests (forest fires), and including their inhabitants, need to be cleared for the expansion of oil palm plantations. You may be familiar with seeing images of Orang-utans in relation to palm oil deforestation. The seeds are then planted to create a plantation and takes about four to five years for oil palms to grow to a point where their fruit is ready to be harvested. The tree will then produce fruit for about thirty years. In a video produced by GreenTV, it claims 45% of the producers of palm oil are smallholders lifting them out of poverty.

Photo by Linda Wong: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-orangutan-hanging-upside-down-on-rope-2083277/

What everyday products contain palm oil?

According to an article by GoodToKnow, the following food products contain palm oil; Wall’s Soft Scoop Ice Cream, Dairy Milk chocolate and Maltesers, Flora Buttery margarine, Ritz crackers, Batchelors Super Noodles, Head and Shoulders shampoo, Dove original soap and much more. As you can tell, palm oil consumption is everywhere and in so many of our products.

How to identify if a product contains palm oil?

There are many products that use palm oil but isn’t always clear on the label.

There are many products that use palm oil but isn’t always clear on the label.

I had a look around my bathroom and, based on the above list, the following everyday products contain palm oil; Cien Aloe Vera Bath soap (Sodium Palm Kernelate), Carex Original handwash (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), Colgate Max White White Crystals Toothpaste (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), Cien Baby Shampoo (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), Oilatum Junior Bath Additive (Isopropyl palmitate), Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealer (ethylhexyl palmitate). The ingredients were on the item, the only one where it wasn’t displayed on the pack (probably on the cardboard box) was the toothpaste which why there’s a hyperlink to the product. You can also look for the certified sustainable palm oil symbol which tells us that it has been created from responsible sources. 

Is sustainable palm oil really sustainable?

It’s causing a lot of negative environmental impacts  as well as habitat destruction, where large areas of rainforest home are cleared and the reliance we have come to for the use of palm oil is staggering. No to mention there are some reports of child labour, human rights abuses, habitat loss, and the negative impacts it’s having on global warming and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

There needs to be a solution but I don’t know what it is.

Sustainable Living ideas

The Story of Plastic

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The Story of Plastic was aired in the UK on Earth Day 22nd April 2020. I found the film to be incredibly moving giving us the story of not just where plastic ends up but also where it begins.

Since the 1950s, plastic was seen as an incredible invention with multiple uses and since then it has weaved itself into every aspect of our lives. We are starting to discover the true cost of this material that never actually goes away.

We have been encouraged to separate our rubbish and ensure we recycle as much as we possibly can. As well as metals, glass and paper, we put our plastic in our recycling bins in good faith believing it is being taken away and something useful is made from it, after all, that’s what the word recycle means, doesn’t it? This film shows us what happens to our plastic once it has been collected from our bins.

The focus at the start of the plastic journey was a plastic processioning plant in Texas, USA, where toxic chemicals are released into the local water and air. Tiny plastic pellets end up into local rivers and will eventually be ingested by local marine life which will inevitably enter the food chain. The cancer rates and health issues in the local areas are shockingly high; child leukemia, infertility and respiratory issues.

What I found shocking was that a product sold in a European country displays that it is recyclable but the same product sold in an Asian country in sachets which cannot be recycled. Decisions made in these boardrooms are adding to the plastic problem faced in Asia and companies should be responsible for installing the necessary waste infrastructure.

What is plastic recycling?

The film shows plastic sorted from India and the Philippines discussing the issues faced when it comes to recycling. One point that struck me was that the whole recycling industry is only possible because there is poverty in the world, who else will do it? Most of the plastic from the West is shipped to Asian countries to deal with and it is hand sorted. Unlike other materials, there are around 80 different categories plastic falls into and therefore the sorting process is a time-consuming one.

When a plastic is sorted and can be ‘recycled’, it is washed, melted down and chopped into plastic pellets; the dirty water used to clean the plastic is dumped into a local waterway leading to pollution, the melting process emits harmful chemicals to the workers, who do not have any protective clothing. Incinerators come with their own set of problems too; skin rashes, increase in cancer rates and other health issues.

It turns out that plastic recycling is a myth.

Who does the buck stop with?

Fossil fuel companies have aired their concerns about the pollution caused by plastic but they seem to prefer shifting the blame onto consumers rather than admitting their products are ill-designed. The film shows that these companies aim their products towards the Asian market flooding them with single-use plastics forcing them to be reliant on these products while hiding behind the excuse of a rise in demand.

I would highly recommend everyone watching this film. The plastic issue is everyone’s problem, not just Asian countries (where the west are dumping their plastic).

If you’re interested in this eye-opening film, click below for the trailer

Sustainable Living ideas

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg – Book Review

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I was lucky enough to receive a copy of No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference for Christmas from a friend who knows me very well.

It’s not that often I write book reviews but as the subject is relevant today, I would like to make an exception. Plus, I really enjoyed it!!

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For those who don’t know (where have you been?!), Greta Thunberg is a Swedish teenager who has shot to fame for her climate activism. It started by sitting outside the Swedish Parliament with a simple sign “School Strike for Climate”. Her persistence gained worldwide recognition at attracted attention from the media. This has inspired other students around the world to join her #FridaysforFuture demonstrations.

What struck me from the outset is the anger or maybe the intense passion she possess in her fight to protect the environment. This book is essentially a collection of her speeches and when you read them it is clear that she’s not trying to be a scientist, she wants the world leaders to listen to science rather than thinking about how much revenue will be lost if a government’s policy changes.

As she is not old enough to vote, this is the only way she can get her voice heard and her actions are being replicated around the world. I admire anyone, young or old, for standing up for what they believe in. They’re not hurting anyone, but our actions are hurting their future. The amount of criticism and abuse she has received is awful and no one, not even a teenager, should have to put up with that.

Overall, I felt her words were very powerful and I really enjoyed this book.

If you’re interested in reading about what I’m doing to be greener, check out my blog and if you’re interested in signing up to my newsletter, click here, I promise not to spam you.