This continuing series of posts depicts our beautiful world, encouraging people to share them and maybe even help save our unique home planet from human carelessness and indifference.
Today’s photo was taken on the banks of the River Wye as it runs through the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Part of its 155-mile (250 km) route from the mid-Wales hills near Plynlimon to the River Severn at Chepstow, is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The landscape can certainly be considered outstandingly beautiful, but, unfortunately, due to the carelessness of both agricultural industry and the water authority responsible for the area, the river is not a pleasant place to swim. Pollution levels are high, affecting the wildlife that depends on this ecosystem for life itself. But investment in what’s needed to keep it free from chemical contamination has been diverted into the pockets of investors more interested in lining their pockets than in protecting the environment.
Let’s hope our new Government has the guts and determination to do something to alter that state of affairs as soon as possible.
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Please do comment, like, and/or share these posts to spread the joy of natural beauty to reach as many people as we can. It could help us save the environment.
I post every Saturday here, but also share a different picture of natural beauty at the end of most days, with the hashtag #ourworldiswonderful, on FaceBook, Threads, Instagram, and on BlueSkySocial. Join me there, and on LinkedIn.
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A few more of my pictures appear in the Gallery.
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Stuart Aken 
Pingback: #ScenicSaturday August 10th 2024: | In the Net! – Pictures and Stories of Life
I spent childhood summers at Georgian Bay, ON. At first it was entirely magical. But eventually light pollution from the nearest town on the far shore began to choke out the evening stars with a ghastly glow. Then came acid rain, fecal coli, and God know what else these days. I don’t visit there anymore but remember when it was more or less pristine! Sometimes memories are enough. 😊
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As humans, Earthpages, we have the luxury of memories to alleviate the dire situation. The wildlife, unfortunately, has no such panacea and has to manage as best it can in our rubbish and pollution.
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Sometimes we see little victories. In Ontario, we have a ‘Greenbelt’ created to protect nature. Recently our Premier announced that parts of it were going to be ‘developed.’ The public outcry was huge. The Premier backpeddled so the Greenbelt remains untouched… for today. The problem is, pollution flows through rivers and lakes, soil and air. So the region is still under attack. But at least not with more concrete.
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Greenbelts are a common feature in the UK, but they’re not sacrosanct. As population increases, space for housing becomes a higher priority with those in authority, and that often results in incursions into these protected areas. There are, in fact, plenty of ‘brownbelts’, areas in urban areas no longer used for industry, etc., but these are often expensive to prepare for housing so less likely to be used. I guess until humans understand we are part of nature, there will always be a sense of separation that maintains our lack of respect for the environment that allows us, and other life, to exist on this green planet, eh?
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Well, I guess we could agree that it’s complicated. We do have a serious homeless crisis here. But I think the folks moving into those new developments are mostly well-to-do. I think Canada and the UK have each seen a decline in the standard of living??? That’s my guess from what I’ve seen on the news. When most people are hungry and cold, they probably care less about animals and nature. There are exceptions, of course. But most of us are not saints.
I dreamed once of a future where tech was clean and well integrated with that Georgian Bay landscape I mentioned. It was a nice dream. If it comes true, it will be well after I’m gone!
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Ah, now we dive into a much more contentious issue; that of fair distribution of wealth. I’ll just say that as long as we have a world in which there are basic minimum wages but absolutely no constraints on those who ‘earn’ millions or billions, we are unlikely to solve the real problems of inequality that drive so many of the problems we face.
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Sometimes I think perfect socialism would be nice but unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. Corruption creeps in. Perhaps it’s just human nature. So given the realities of life ‘down here’ we have to make calculated, prayerful choices and hope they’re in line with God’s will. I’m not sure how you feel about God etc. but for me, it takes the edge off an otherwise mad world.😊
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I agree, perfection is not a human trend, but we evolved as a successful species because we are innately altruistic and cooperative. It is the imposition of the capitalist monetary system that has distorted our world and made money, especially profit, a god for many people. We need to restart with money as the tool it was intended to be, instead of a false bribe and a control mechanism.
Please don’t get me started on God. I’m a full-blooded atheist and have been ever since I read the Bible from cover to cover and realised what a dreadful tome it is, immoral, misogynistic, prejudiced, unjust, elitist and cruel. I also read the Qur’an in the same way and found that to be the most tedious, repetitive and self-contradictory tome.
Science and the world of fact is my go to place for comfort. Science may not know the answers to everything, but it is honest enough to admit when it has got it wrong, and it continues to search for truth.
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I appreciate your honesty. When I first read the Bible, especially the King James version of Revelation, I thought it was a psychotic tract. But things changed for me as I grew older. Since you seem pretty firm in your position, I won’t go into why I have reason to believe. I do think, though, that agnosticism is a more sensible position than atheism (since we’re being honest!). 😉
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I did spend a short while as an agnostic, thinking atheism might be regarded as a form of certainty bordering on arrogance. However, an analysis of what is actually known about the universe and, in particular, humanity and life, I realised that in the unlikely event any sort of creator existed, I wasn’t too impressed with it. Also, there’s that unanswerable question, ‘Who created the creator?’
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I think the question of who created the creator is a good one. To me, it demonstrates a lot of things. First, we human beings tend to be locked into a linear view of time. That’s part of the problem. The other part is that we need true humility. That doesn’t mean stop trying to understand, but also considering the possibility that there are other ways of gaining knowledge.
Scientists tend to overlook the vast body of mystical literature that points to the possibility of realms beyond our usual view of time and space. The theological concept of “immanence” tries to explain how heaven and earth can differ but not be entirely separate.
I don’t fully understand God and how God can be even greater than “all-time.” But we need to recognize our limitations and stop pretending we’re superbeings when we’re not. We’re just little creatures crawling around on a little planet in a big universe with, I would argue spiritual dimensions beyond the range of conventional perception, which make even the observable universe seem very small.
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The juxtaposition between the beautiful scene and the poor health of the water is heartbreaking, Stuart. Unfortunately, most governments are too uncommitted (and scared) to do anything substantive about it. I hope your new one is better able to move ahead on it.
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Unfortunately, as long as money is king and profit the major consideration, Lynette, the environment will take a back seat. Of course, when we render the planet very difficult to live in, those in charge may finally take the necessary steps. Too little, too late, of course.
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So sad to hear the river is polluted when the scene is so outstandingly beautiful. I see the Olympic organizers spent upwards of a billion to clean up the Seine for swimming and it was still polluted enough to make swimmers sick – although apparently if they drank a Coke after swimming in it, their problems were much alleviated.
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It is sad, Noelle. I wonder how much the drinks firm gave to have that unlikely assertion issued. Paris, like London, is home to far more people than it was designed to serve, and the ancient sewage systems will be in need of significant maintenance. Europe prides itself in its civilisation, but it still allows raw sewage to flow into rivers, lakes and, ultimately, the sea. We can no longer justify pointing a finger of blame at less developed countries and telling them to clean up their act, if we ever could.
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