#faith in humanity restored crops watered etc etc | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hortascountrysidenotes · 4 years ago

Text

Seasonal Shift

There is a distinctly different feel in the air and the look of the countryside. Gone are the lush cool greens of May and early June, and we have arrived at the beige season - ripening corn and rape, early stubble fields, pin pricks of yellows and browns on tired bits of foliage. Hot drying winds, dust in the air from the harvest and the sounds of the combine never far away. The nights are still warm and the slightest drop of rain brings high levels of humidity and a heaviness that saps the energy and brings forth beads of sweat very quickly with the slightest exertion!

We have now moved into another chapter in the long saga of Beck Farm with the official ownership of the wood, and last night we celebrated the grand opening when some dear friends who are staying up on the coast with a gang of youngsters came over and cut the ribbon at the entrance. We toasted the wood and wished it well and enthused over the possibilities it brings. We have been reliably informed by the Tree Officer for our local council that no permissions are needed for felling any trees, so fire up the chainsaws and away we go in late October. Hedge planting and new trees from the end of November and a development of the path system following a rudimentary cutting yesterday to give us a weaving walk to the top.

Speaking of councils, we have enjoyed the improvement in the state of the verges in our locality and wild flowers have actually had a chance. Alongside the small lane running from the back of Brisley to our neighbouring parish Bilney is a lovely selection of wildflowers including the now endangered and on the red list Harebell. I have been watching this patch every year get systematically blitzed by an idiot cutting the verges, just as they were at their peak, and therefore someway before they would have set seed. This year it looked as thought we might see success but no...... very early yesterday morning we could hear the destruction unit at work and when I walked the dogs along, not only had they cut all the flowers but they had managed to scalp a good deal of turf and smash into a portion of the rather nice hedge. I couldn’t bear it so as I had my phone I went through all the pain of Press 1, 2 or 3 etc to find the right department, and to my complete amazement got a real Hero!!! He told me who the contractors are, explained they have been expressly asked to leave the verges this year until a certain point and only do important roads where safety is at issue. He assured me he would send this higher up the tree so I am encouraged. Luckily a small patch of harebells escaped the sword so at least they will get to seed. My faith in human nature was restored until the next time!

The garden is much the same save for the dahlias bursting with colour and the borders look great plus the new Kniphofias are flowering and having hated the ubiquitous red hot poker all my life, the new range of soft tawny browns, oranges and yellows are actually very good and make good accent plants. Autumn raspberries in full production, apples are swelling which reminds me I still have not thinned the pears, and I have got the bolted lettuces out now so the veg patch looks better. The wallflowers have been sown - and have already germinated. We have a huge crop of walnuts developing - the squirrel is definitely still about and gave me a considerable shock when the other morning hearing a commotion above our bathroom window, I encountered a squirrel’s tail and foot showing in the gutter - where it then went I do not know but Miss Horta reports a bit of movement in her ceiling so I am on the warpath. Next week I shall cut down all the summer jasmine which is near the bathroom window in case it has been creeping up through that - more to follow on this one!

Mavis is ever larger - we now have the whelping box ready and some new vet bed. Dan has made the panels for my puppy pen so for the moment all we can do is wait. Having managed to take the top off my thumb on Thursday I am glad we still have a bit of time as I am not very dextrous at the moment and certainly would struggle with the hot water and towels bit.

A lovely morning training with mates today - except one dummy I threw into a bramble bush again and simply cannot see so it may have to remain till the leaves come off, and the other which I put out last night with 4 others has completely disappeared - I think the foxes do move them as I have had this happen before - presumably as they smell of dog they need investigating, but I have even taken the chubby one with her super nose to look and it simply is not there. Scout came along just to watch as the outing was more for young Elsie Grimwade and very sweet and slightly nervous Dot Broughton - both are doing so well and it is super to see Elsie’s enthusiasm and brilliance in finding everything, alongside Dot growing in confidence and happiness everytime we go out. We shall all meet again on Thursday at a proper training evening with our Welsh Wizard friend Julian who runs great sessions. Mavis will hopefully be able to join in again about 6 - 7 weeks after whelping.

Hedgecutting time looms yet again, second flushes of roses should begin to kick off in about two weeks time - Maigold is already flowering again, deadheading is paramount for all the herbaceous plants particularly dahlias. Sweet peas are still going thanks to a bit of rain, so worth feeding and watering one more time to prolong them. Keep feeding containers and of course tomatoes. Keep picking beans so they keep producing - dont let the courgettes sneak up! Honey production today - estimate 100+ jars so not bad.

HORTA

1 note · View note

nicnacsnonsense · 5 years ago

Text

Moana “Script” Doctor

This is a continuation on my previous post musing on some of the flaws in Moana and how to fix them. First post can be found here.

Our movie still opens with Grandma telling the story of how Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti. The key difference in this version is it is understood and explicitly stated both that Maui stole the heart with the intention of it being for humanity, and that the darkness now spreading across the world because of Te Fiti’s missing heart is also why they settled on their island and stopped being voyagers. The village chief Tui, henceforth referred to as Dad, interrupts her story. Not because he disagrees with any of the facts she is presenting, but because she’s scaring the children. Grandma insists the kids are fine, they love stories about Maui, right Moana? Except whoops, Moana is gone.

Cut to Moana, cowering the bushes at the edge of the beach, having clearly been terrified by the story. She hears some cawing and looks over to see a little baby turtle wanting to get to the ocean, but in danger of being eaten by birds. Moana waffles for a minute, then grabs a leaf and uses it to escort the baby turtle to the ocean, despite clearly being afraid of the birds herself. She successfully gets the turtle back to the ocean and maybe waves goodbye to him. She stares at the ocean apprehensively, then looks down at her feet, where the waves are consistently stopping a few inches short of her. She slowly picks her foot up and is about to test it in the water, when a big waves comes up and knocks her down on her butt. Little Moana is not happy about this. She scrambles backward to get away from the water, and in doing so realizes the big wave also deposited something in her lap. She grabs it and looks at in with interest. Then we hear Dad calling her and she gets up and goes running back to him.

Next is the getting older montage, probably set to song. The big takeaways in this montage include Moana, though smart and athletic and capable, is kind of a scaredy cat and consequently lacks self-confidence in general; Dad is very protective and nurturing and understanding of Moana’s fears to a fault; and Grandma pushes Moana to help her grow, also to a fault. Moana’s afraid of the ocean, so Grandma is liable to pick her up and throw her into the deep water whereas Dad will let her avoid doing anything that has to do with going down to the beach. Also during this we should start to see the effects of the spreading darkness – blight on the crops, less fish in the ocean, and people getting sick.

Finally we get to Moana being the present day time of the movie, and the scene where no fish are caught anywhere on any side of the island. The night after this Moana goes back home to overhear Dad and Grandma arguing. Grandma is asserting Dad knows what needs to be done to fix the crisis and Dad is having none of it: she’s too young; she’s not ready. Grandma accuses him of being overprotective and Dad accuses her of pushing too hard. Grandma says the ocean gave Moana the heart of Te Fiti and chose her to restore the heart. At this point Moana freaks out and runs off. This is also probably where we would insert another song number, though obviously this Moana’s song would be pretty different from “How Far I’ll Go.”

After the song, Moana is sitting by herself when Sina, henceforth Mom, comes up and sits beside her, confirming Moana had heard the argument. She tells Moana Dad and Grandma both love her and want what’s best for her, even if they don’t agree on what that is. Moana pulls the heart out of her pendant and says it can’t actually be the heart, right? It’s just a pounamu stone that happened to wash up on the beach. Mom confirms she believes the stone is the heart of Te Fiti, but she’s more ambivalent as to whether the ocean chose Moana or if it was just a coincidence. She says regardless, and no matter what Moana decides to do, she has full faith in her and supports her, and she is just generally best mom.

Mom jokes that they ought to get back before Dad and Grandma kill each other, a joke that gets much less funny a few seconds later when they hear the conch shell and find out Grandma is actually dying. We’d see her coughing occasionally in earlier scenes and it appears she’s come down with the mysterious illness that is assumed to be caused by the darkness spreading due to Te Fiti missing her heart. When Moana makes it to Grandma’s bedside, she tries to use the heart to heal her, but it doesn’t work that way. Grandma instead chargers her with returning the heart, Moana says she can’t, and Grandma insists she can. She tells Moana she knows she’s hard on her sometimes and pushes her, but only because she knows Moana is braver inside than she knows.

Grandma dies, and Moana declares she will take the heart to Te Fiti. Dad protests at first, but Mom reminds him they agreed to let Moana grow at her own pace, and here she is, telling them she’s ready to grow. He reluctantly concedes and they go to the cave where the large canoes for open-seas voyages are. They aren’t hidden there per se, the interior cove just makes a good place to store them that’s out of the way and out of the weather. They get Moana situated on her boat, then Dad instructs her to wait while he gets one more thing. While he’s gone, Moana confesses to Mom she’s scared and Mom tells her that’s okay; this is a scary thing she’s about to do. The good news is they’ve got something that might help.

Cue Dad coming back with Maui’s fishhook. He explains to Moana that a thousand years ago when their people were looking for somewhere to stay while waiting for it to be safe to voyage again, they found this island with Maui’s hook washed up on the beach, which they took as a sign. Since then it’s been a sacred duty passed down from chief to chief to guard the hook and keep it safe until Maui returned for it. Now he’s passing that duty on to her: she must keep the hook safe and return it to Maui. Then she can ask him for his help in restoring the heart.

Moana is partially excited, because she’s a big fan of Maui. She’s heard all these stories about him and he’s always very daring and brave, which is something she, being meek and often frightened, looks up to him for. On the other hand she’s a bit nervous and overwhelmed at the thought of asking Maui, a demigod for his help. Mom tells her she ought to grab him by the ear and tell him “I am Moana of Motunui. You will board my boat, sail across the ocean, and restore the heart of Te Fiti.” Moana is vaguely horrified, but Mom laughs and says she was just kidding; Maui is the hero of men, if Moana asks for his help, he’s sure to agree.

We get a little of Moana sailing on calm seas, talking herself through what are clearly some rushed instructions on sailing Dad gave her before she set out (or she might be “talking” to Heihei. As he has no real impact on the plot, I won’t be including any mentions of him in this, but if you enjoy his silly chicken antics, please mentally insert him where appropriate). Then a storm rolls in and it becomes very apparent she really has no idea what she’s doing. Her boat capsizes and as a last ditch effort Moana pleads with the ocean to help her. Giant wave, and cut.

We open back up on Moana and her boat washed up on a beach. Moana figures out this is the island where Maui is, has a brief minor panic attack about what she’s going to say to him, suddenly he’s there, and she just blurts out “I am Moana of Motunui,” etc. etc. She is again horrified and quickly and clumsily tries to verbally backpedal until Maui laughs at her good-naturedly and asks if she wants to try that again. She explains, more politely and thoroughly why she’s here and asks for his help. Maui is visibly reluctant, but Moana doesn’t seem to notice. Before he can answer one way or the other, she exclaims she forgot something and scrambles back to her boat to pull Maui’s hook out of the inner compartment. Maui is overjoyed to have his hook back. He gives it a few practice swings then shapeshifts into a few different animals in rapid succession then back to his normal form. He laughs in a way that might seem like just a further expression of joy at the time, but in retrospect is clear awkward “I meant to do that” kind of laughter. He then agrees to join Moana and to help her restore Te Fiti’s heart.

They’re out at sea with Maui now steering the boat – he is the one who knows where they’re going after all – and Moana is fiddling with her necklace. She comes to a decision and opens it up to take out the heart and offer it to Maui, believing it will be safer in his care. Maui freaks out a little, what are you doing, put that thing away, before -= too late. The Kakamora attack.

Maui tells Moana to take over steering the boat and to do what she can to evade and get them away while he holds the Kakamora off. Moana reveals she doesn’t really know how to sail. Maui does some quick thinking, then declares fine, he’ll try to get them away and she should do whatever she can to keep the Kakamora off them. Moana doesn’t do a bad job of it, but unfortunately the Kakamora manage to steal the heart. Moana reports this to Maui and he asks if she thinks she can go over and take it back. At Moana’s flabbergasted response, Maui explains he has an idea to get them away from the Kakamora, but he can’t sail and fight the Kakamora at the same time, so does Moana think she can go steal the heart back? Moana’s answer is a resounding, “No. Yes. Yeas, I can do it.” As Maui notes, this is not an encouraging answer, but he’s going to trust her. Moana is successful in getting the heart back, despite being clearly terrified as she’s doing it, Maui uses a bit of tricky steering to get the Kakamora’s boats to collide into each other, and the two of them escape with the heart.

Moana immediately collapses to the floor of the boat, emotionally overwhelmed by what just happened. Maui pats on the back, a little awkwardly, and tells her she did it, it’s over, everything’s fine now. Once Moana has calmed down he asks her if she really doesn’t know how to sail. Moana says she only has a very basic knowledge that was imparted right before she set out; she never learned before because she’s afraid of the water. Maui looks around as though to confirm, yes, they are indeed surrounded by water. He offers to teach her how to wayfind. Moana is initially reluctant because Maui can do it, so they should be fine, right? Maui points out there may be more situations like what just happened in the future where it’ll be helpful where either of them can take over control of the boat, plus it might help her deal with her fear if she knows what she’s doing. Moana agrees and the scene ends with Maui starting to instruct her on some of the basics.

The next scene fades in with him instructing her on coming in and landing the boat on the beach of a new island. Conversation establishes it’s been a few days, and they’re stopping to top off their supplies. They split up to look for food and fresh water. We’re following Moana who’s found some good fruit that’s just out of reach and she’s so focused on getting it that she doesn’t notice the menacing rustling from behind her. Cut to Maui hearing her scream and running to save her. Cut back to Moana at the end of her scream. She’s been nabbed by Tamatoa. Tamatoa tells her to be quiet, she’s shocked he can talk, and he’s offended she would be shocked. Moana manages to pick up on his sense of self-importance and starts flattering him. It manages to distract him for a while, long enough that by the time he goes to eat her, Maui triumphantly enters the scene. Tamatoa is frightened to see Maui. Maui brandishes his hook with a look of desperate concentration and turns into a little fish. He tries a few more times with no more success. Tamatoa laughs at him and sets Moana down so he can go beat up on Maui as revenge for Maui cutting off his leg. Moana intervenes and manages to trick and incapacitate Tamatoa – Maybe tricking him into falling off a cliff? – and she and Maui run back to the boat.

Once they’re back out at sea Moana asks Maui about the hook not working. He confesses that he hasn’t been able to use it successfully since they got it back. Moana realizes she hasn’t seen him use it at all since he got it back, except the brief bout of rapid-fire changing right when she returned it. Maui confesses that was not what he was trying to do back then, and he’s since been hiding the fact he can’t use the hook from her. But it’s not working anymore, he’s useless. Moana says her family has been holding that hook in sacred trust for him for generations. Maui expression shows he is ready for her to really lay into him. Instead Moana follows her comment with, so of course you’re not going to be able to use it right away. You haven’t been able to practice with it for over a 1000 years. It’s going to take time to relearn how to use it, and Moana offers to help with that. Maui is completely baffled, Moana misunderstands why he is baffled and says that while she doesn’t know how to use a magic fish hook to shapeshift, sometimes it just helps to talk things through with someone, like when she talks through her wayfinding lessons with him, or back on her island she used to talk things through with her mom all the time when she was struggling with it. Maui accepts her help and after a few minutes of talking Moana suggests maybe he’s just overthinking the transformation when he’s supposed to let the magic flow naturally. He tries again with a noticeably calmer expression and manages to transform into a giant eagle for just long enough to briefly celebrate before involuntarily turning back to human. Moana is undeterred, seeing this as a huge success and says as all has he keeps at it and she keeps at her wayfinding they’ll both be pros in no time.

Another time skip and now Maui is telling Moana about some dangerous obstacle up ahead that will require some very skillful sailing and maneuvering of the boat. (I do not know enough about sailing or the geography of Polynesia to know what an appropriate tricky sailing thing could be and as the exact nature of it doesn’t matter, it shall jus be referred to as tricky sailing thing.) After he finishes explaining he tells Moana she’s going to do it as a final test of her new skills. Moana asks if she has to, and Maui says no, not if she doesn’t want to. Relieved at the pressure being off, Moana asks if Maui really thinks she can pull it off. Maui points out that obviously he does or he wouldn’t have suggested it and asks if she thinks she can do it. Moana’s answer is a hesitant but affirmative, “Yes, I can.”

So they begin with the tricky sailing thing, but as soon as they get started, a monster attacks. The exact nature of the monster will ultimately depend on the exact nature of the tricky sailing thing, but for now let’s go with a taniwha. (From Wikipedia: “In Māori mythology, taniwha are beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respected kaitiaki (protective guardians) of people and places, or in some traditions as dangerous, predatory beings, which for example would kidnap women to have as wives… At sea, a taniwha often appears as a whale or as quite a large shark.”) Maui tells Moana she’s got this, then jumps off the boat and goes to do battle with the taniwha. Moana successfully navigates the tricky sailing thing, made even trickier by the fight going on and Maui successfully uses his shapeshifting abilities to fight off the taniwha. Once they are in the clear they celebrate their success and how awesome each other are.

Next we get an upbeat travel montage with a fun upbeat travel song. There should be scenes of Moana and Maui sailing on open water, stopping off on islands to get more supplies, fighting off more monsters, and maybe weathering a bad storm. Ultimately the montage should showcase that there are a lot of dangers lurking, but also how well Moana and Maui work as a team, and how big and beautiful the area really is.

After the montage we cut to our twilight scene. Moana is steering while Maui lying back, not quite napping. He looks over and notices Moana’s worried expression and asks her what’s wrong. She points out what must be really bad storm clouds blotting out the stars in the direction their heading. Maui looks and tells her those aren’t storm clouds; it’s soot. That’s Te Kā, meaning they should be to Te Fiti by tomorrow.

This unsurprisingly does not alleviate Moana’s worry and Maui tells her it’ll be fine and she’s probably the bravest person he’s ever met. Moana is rather incredulous and points out that she is scared all the time. Maui says not quite as much anymore, but yeah she is, is kind of amazing, but not as amazing as her still being here and having done all the things she has to get here and that’s what makes her so brave, way braver than Maui. Moana takes exception to the implication her childhood hero and new BFF might not be brave and starts pointing out all the brave things he’s done in the past, using his tattoos to illustrate her point. He clearly appreciates the admiration, but points out it was easy for him to act brave in those situations, because he’s Maui, Shapeshifter, Demigod of the Wind and Sea, Hero of Men, he doesn’t have any reason to be scared of monsters. He brandishes his fishhook for emphasis.

Moana hesitates, then touches the tattoo on his back. Maui tenses. She tells him this is the one Maui story she never liked, because it never made sense to her; why would anyone ever want to throw someone as amazing as Maui away. Maui says that was before the gods found him and gave him his fishhook and made him a demigod; his mother didn’t throw Maui away, just him. Moan says just you is Maui. Maui doesn’t believe it, so as proof she points back to all the tattoos of the things he’s done again, things he did all for humanity. Even though his human parent threw him away, he didn’t let that hurt define him; that’s what makes him brave. Very softly he says, “But I did.” Everything he’s done for humanity was with the hope if he could do something amazing enough, if he could just prove he was worthy, then maybe his family would take him back. He gives a self-depreciating chuckle and says he knows they were all mortal and are all long dead now, but in spite of that he keeps hoping…

Moan interrupts to say she will be his family. Her and her mom and dad and her whole island. They’ll all be his family if he wants. He doesn’t have to be alone. Moana is looking up at him all earnest and pure, and Maui laughs again, but happy this time. He tousles her hair and tells her “Alright, alright, you win.” Then he tells he’ll take over with the boat and she should get some sleep because they’ve got a big day tomorrow. She curls up on the boat and Maui looks down at her smiling fondly. The he looks up at the soot cloud and his grip on his hook tightens.

The next day they approach Te Kā and go over their general plan. They’ll split up as they approach Te Fiti, Maui getting in close to Te Kā to harry her while Moana sialing by on the boat hopefully serves as enough of a distraction to give Maui the upper hand. Once she lands on Te Fiti, Moana will hand off the heart to Maui, then hide while Maui uses his shapeshifting to get to the spiral where the heart goes as quickly as possible. They go in and Maui fights Te Kā while Moana searches for a way past the barrier islands. She finally manages to spot the gap, but she hadn’t been paying close enough attention while she was looking and Maui just barely manages to intercept Te Kā’s attack. Moana, Maui and the boat are blasted away by the impact.

Moana returns to consciousness and sees Maui sitting on the edge of the boat. She asks if he’s okay, and he turns, looking completely despondent and holding his cracked and burned hook. She asks if they can fix it, he says no, so she says they’ll be more careful next time. He says there won’t be a next time; Te Kā is too dangerous and if they try again, he’ll break his hook for good. Moana says he doesn’t need it, but Maui says he’s nothing without his hook. Moana says it’ll be okay, what happened was her fault for not paying attention and she won’t let it happen again. She can – Maui snaps, and yells at her no, she can’t.

This breaks Moana. She collapses to the floor, her head bowed and her hand holding her necklace. Maui looks very guilty and hesitantly approaches her. Moana mutters to herself, then repeats it again, louder. “I am Moana of Motunui. You will board my boat, sail sail across the ocean, and restore the heart of Te Fiti.” She has pulled the heart out of her necklace and holds it up to him. Maui is visibly torn and his expression suggests he’s about to change his mind and agree to try again. Right then his hook sparks, he looks at it, and the fear is back. He tells Moana he’s sorry, then transforms and flies away.

Moana scrambles after him, begging him not to leave. As she does, the heart comes out of her hand, bounces off the side of the boat, and sinks down in the ocean. Moana comes to a stop kneeling on the edge of the boat. She looks out over the ocean and asks it to please help her. Nothing appears to happen and she bows her head again in despair.

Then stingray Grandma comes through, and appears as ghost Grandma on her boat. Moan runs to her, and tells her she can’t do it; she’s sorry. Grandma says it’s her fault for asking too much of Moana, for always putting too much on Moana’s shoulders. She tells Moana if she’s ready to go home, then she will be with her.

Moana grabs her oar, but hesitates. Grandma asks why, then we go into the triumphant reprise of Moana’s earlier I Am song. The main theme of the song should be Moana admitting and accepting she’s afraid, but that doesn’t define her. It the experiences she’s had and the lessons she’s learned and the people she loves that makes her who she is. “I am Moana,” and she dives into the ocean to reclaim the heart. She fixes up her boat and sails back to Te Fiti saying, “I am Moana of Motunui. I will board my boat, sail sail across the ocean, and restore the heart of Te Fiti.”

Sher manages to get past Te Kā and through the gap in the barrier islands, showcasing some skill that we have previously seen her use, but once she’s in the inner lagoon, her boat capsizes. Te Kā attacks, but Maui swoops in just in time to save her. Moana is pleased to see him back and he says it was about time he tried being brave. She asks about his hook and he says he doesn’t need it, then winks and adds that Te Kā still has to catch him first. He tells her he’ll hold Te Kā off, so does she think she can go save the world. Moana confidently asserts “Yes, I can.” He flips the boat and fights Te Kā his hook shattering in the process.

Meanwhile Moana makes it to land, climbs the mountain and sees Te Fiti is no longer there. She realizes Te Kā is Te Fiti and holds the heart up to get Te Kā’s attention before heading back down to the water. She holds the heart in front of her and instructs the ocean to let Te Kā come to her. The ocean parts. Moana and Te Kā make their way toward each other. The main emotion on Moana’s face is compassion – she’s finally not scared anymore, but only because she feels so much empathy for the pain Te Kā/Te Fiti has suffered that it overwhelms any feeling of fear.

The heart and Te Fiti are restored. Te Fiti nonverbally thanks Moana. Maui apologizes for what he did and Te Fiti offers him a new hook. He tells her very genuinely he doesn’t need it anymore. Moana agrees he doesn’t need it, but think how many more people he could help with it, plus it would be rude to turn down a gift from a goddess. He tousles her hair and tells her she wins again. He takes the hook and is just as genuinely giddy to have it back. Te Fiti makes Moana a new boat to get home on, and Moana tells Maui he’s welcome to come. He tells her he has a lot of heroing to do, but she’ll see him around. If nothing else he’s got to make it to the next family get-together, right? Moana grins and promises to save him a seat. They hug. Happy ending montage with Moana going back to her island and teaching her people to be voyagers again. The End.

#Moana #Disney #Maui #meta #fanfiction

2 notes · View notes

margiefes-blog · 3 years ago

Text

Conserve Energy Future

Environmental Problems

Our environment is constantly changing. There is no denying that fact. However, as our environment changes, so does the need to become increasingly aware of the problems that surround it. With a massive influx of natural disasters, warming and cooling periods, different types of weather patterns and much more, people need to be aware of what types of environmental problems our planet is facing.

Global warming has become an undisputed fact about our current livelihoods; our planet is warming up and we are definitely part of the problem. However, this isn’t the only environmental problem that we should be concerned about. All across the world, people are facing a wealth of new and challenging environmental problems every day. Some of them are small and only affect a few ecosystems, but others are drastically changing the landscape of what we already know.

Source: Canva

The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.

~ John Paul II

“Environmental issues are defined as problems with the planet’s systems (air, water, soil, etc.) that have developed as a result of human interference or mistreatment of the planet.” �� Your Dictionary

Our planet is poised on the brink of a severe environmental crisis. Current environmental problems make us vulnerable to disasters and tragedies, now and in the future.

We are in a state of planetary emergency, with environmental problems piling up high around us. Unless we address the various issues prudently and seriously, we are surely doomed for disaster. Current environmental problems also require urgent attention.

Contents [show]

20 Major Current Environmental Problems

1. Pollution

There are 7 key types of pollution – air, water, soil, noise, radioactive, light and thermal and these are primary causes that affect our environment in many ways. All these types of pollution are interlinked and influence each other. Therefore we need to tackle all of them together.

Pollution of air, water and soil requires millions of years to recoup. Industry and motor vehicle exhaust are the number one pollutants. Heavy metals, nitrates and plastic are toxins responsible for pollution.

While water pollution is caused by oil spill, acid rain, urban runoff, air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins released by industries and factories and combustion of fossil fuels; soil pollution is majorly caused by industrial waste that deprives soil from essential nutrients.

2. Soil Degradation

Globally, food security depends on the factor whether or not soils are in good condition to produce crops. According to UN estimates, about 12 million hectares of farmland a year get seriously degraded.

Soils get damaged due to many reasons. Such reasons include erosion, overgrazing, overexposure to pollutants, monoculture planting, soil compaction, land-use conversion and many more.

Nowadays, a wide range of techniques of soil conservation and restoration exist, from no-till agriculture to crop rotation to water-retention through terrace-building.

3. Global Warming

Climate changes like global warming are the result of human practices like the emission of greenhouse gases. Global warming leads to rising temperatures of the oceans and the earth’ surface causing natural disasters that include flooding, melting of polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and also unnatural patterns of precipitation such as flash floods, hurricanes, wildfires, drought, excessive snow or desertification.

See also What is a Rainforest? Features, Importance and Location of Rainforests

4. Overpopulation

The population of the planet is reaching unsustainable levels as it faces a shortage of resources like water, fuel and food. Population explosion in less developed and developing countries is straining the already scarce resources.

Intensive agriculture practiced to produce food damages the environment through the use of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides. Overpopulation is also one of the crucial current environmental problems.

5. Natural Resource Depletion

Another crucial current environmental problem is the depletion of Natural resources. We, humans, use so many natural resources that it would need almost 1.5 Earths to cover all our needs.

This will further increase in the future due to massive industrialization in Asian countries like India and China. Increased use of natural resources leads to a number of other environmental issues, such as industrialization, population growth and air pollution.

Over time, natural resource depletion will lead to an energy crisis. The chemicals emitted from many natural resources contribute to climate change. Fossil fuel consumption results in the emission of greenhouse gases, which is primarily responsible for global warming and climate change.

Globally, people are making efforts to shift to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, biogas and geothermal energy. As such, the cost of installing the infrastructure and maintaining these sources has plummeted in recent years.

6. Generating Unsustainable Waste

The huge production of waste due to our hyperconsumption is a major threat to the environment. As per the study, the average person produces 4.3 pounds of waste per day, and the US alone accounting for 220 million tons a year.

This hyperconsumption results in non-biodegradable trash in the form of plastic packaging, toxic e-waste, and harmful chemicals that leach into our waterways.

When this waste ends up in landfills, it generates enormous amounts of methane, which ranks as one of the worst greenhouse gases because of its high potential for global warming. It creates severe explosion hazards.

Since modern technology allows us to access digital environments, many things that you need can be fulfilled in the cloud. Consider your purchases carefully.

7. Waste Disposal

The overconsumption of resources and the creation of plastics are creating a global crisis of waste disposal. Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of waste or garbage and dumping their waste in the oceans and less developed countries.

Nuclear waste disposal has tremendous health hazards associated with it. Plastic, fast food, packaging and cheap electronic wastes threaten the well being of humans. Waste disposal is, therefore, one of the urgent current environmental problems.

Source: Canva

8. Deforestation

Our forests are natural sinks of carbon dioxide and produce fresh oxygen, as well as helps in regulating temperature and rainfall. At present, forests cover 30% of the land, but every year tree cover is lost, amounting to the country of Panama due to the growing population demand for more food, shelter and cloth. Deforestation simply means clearing of green cover and make that land available for residential, industrial or commercial purposes.

9. Polar Ice Caps

The issue of the melting of polar ice caps is a contentious one. Although NASA studies have shown that the amount of ice in Antarctica is increasing, however, this increase is only one-third of what is being lost in the Arctic.

See also Examples of Different Kinds of Human Environmental Interaction

There is enough evidence that shows sea levels are rising, and the melting of Arctic ice caps is a major contributor. Over time, the melting of polar ice caps could lead to extensive flooding, contamination of drinking water and major changes in ecosystems.

10. Loss of Biodiversity

Human activity is leading to the extinction of species and habitats and loss of biodiversity. Ecosystems, which took millions of years to perfect, are in danger when any species population is decimating.

Balance of natural processes like pollination is crucial to the survival of the ecosystem, and human activity threatens the same. Another example is the destruction of coral reefs in the various oceans, which support the rich marine life.

11. Climate Change

Climate change is yet another environmental problem that has surfaced in the last couple of decades. It occurs due to the rise in global warming, which happens due to the increase in temperature of the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and the release of harmful gases by industries.

Climate change has various harmful effects but not limited to the melting of polar ice, change in seasons, occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in overall weather scenario.

12. Ocean Acidification

It is a direct impact of excessive production of CO2. 25% of total atmospheric CO2 is produced by humans. The ocean acidity has increased by the last 250 years, but by 2100, it may shoot up by 150%. The main impact is on shellfish and plankton in the same way as human osteoporosis.

13. The Nitrogen Cycle

We often ignore the effects of the use of nitrogen by humans. Nitrogen is a crucial component of all life. Problems occur when the nitrogen cycle is not balanced.

A process through which it is converted or ‘fixed’ to a more usable form is called fixation. The fixation happens biologically and through lightning, or it can be done Industrially. People have learned to convert nitrogen gas to ammonia (NH3-) and fertilizers that are nitrogen-rich to supplement the amount of nitrogen fixed naturally.

It is estimated that agriculture may be responsible for about 50% of the nitrogen fixation on earth through the cultivation of nitrogen-fixing crops and the production of human-made fertilizers. When nitrogen is used more than plant demand, it can leach from soils into waterways and contributes to eutrophication.

Excess levels of nitrogen in water can hamper marine ecosystems, through overstimulation of plant and algae growth. This blocks the light from getting into deeper waters, thus damaging the rest of the marine population.

The problem can also occur during nitrification and denitrification. Nitrous oxide (N2O) can be formed when the chemical process is not completed. N2O is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.

14. Ozone Layer Depletion

The ozone layer is an invisible layer of protection around the planet that protects us from the sun’s harmful rays. The depletion of the crucial Ozone layer of the atmosphere is attributed to pollution caused by Chlorine and Bromide found in Chloro-fluoro carbons (CFCs). Once these toxic gases reach the upper atmosphere, they create a hole in the ozone layer, the biggest of which is above the Antarctic.

CFCs are banned in many industries and consumer products. The ozone layer is valuable because it prevents harmful UV radiation from reaching the earth. This is one of the most important current environmental problems.

See also What are Various Alternative Energy Sources

15. Acid Rain

Acid rain occurs due to the presence of certain pollutants in the atmosphere. Acid rain can be caused due to combustion of fossil fuels or erupting volcanoes or rotting vegetation which releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere.

Acid rain is a known environmental problem that can have a serious effect on human health, wildlife and aquatic species.

Source: Canva

16. Water Pollution

Clean drinking water is becoming a rare commodity. Water is becoming an economic and political issue as the human population fights for this resource.

One of the options suggested is using the process of desalinization. Industrial development is filling our rivers, seas and oceans with toxic pollutants, which are a major threat to human health.

17. Overfishing

Overfishing affects natural ecosystems severely and leads to an imbalance of ocean life. Around 63% of global fish stocks are estimated to be overfished. Overfishing caused fishing fleets to migrate to new waters that would further deplete the fish stocks.

Moreover, it has negative effects on coastal communities that rely on fishing to support their living.

18. Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl refers to the migration of population from high-density urban areas to low-density rural areas, which results in the spreading of the city over more and more rural land.

Urban sprawl results in land degradation, increased traffic, environmental issues and health issues. The ever-growing demand for land displaces the natural environment consisting of flora and fauna, instead of being replaced.

19. Public Health Issues

The current environmental problems pose a lot of risk to the health of humans and animals. Dirty water is the biggest health risk in the world and poses a threat to the quality of life and public health.

Runoff to rivers carries with it toxins, chemicals and disease-carrying organisms. Pollutants cause respiratory diseases like Asthma and cardiac-vascular problems. High temperatures encourage the spread of infectious diseases like Dengue.

20. Genetic Engineering

Genetic modification of food using biotechnology is called genetic engineering. Genetic modification of food results in increased toxins and diseases as genes from an allergic plant can transfer to the target plant. Genetically modified crops can cause serious environmental problems as an engineered gene may prove toxic to wildlife.

Another drawback is that increased use of toxins to make insect resistant plants can cause resultant organisms to become resistant to antibiotics.

The need for change in our daily lives and the movements of our government is growing. Since so many different factors come into play, such as voting, governmental issues, the desire to stick to a routine, many people don’t consider that what they do will affect future generations.

If humans continue moving forward in such a harmful way towards the future, then there will be no future to consider. Although it’s a fact that we cannot physically stop our ozone layer from thinning (and scientists are still having trouble figuring out what is causing it exactly), there are still so many things we can do to try and put a dent in what we already know.

By raising awareness in your local community and within your families about these issues, you can help contribute to a more environmentally conscious and friendly place for you and your future generations to live.

About Rinkesh

A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really is no 'Planet B' in this whole universe.

Interesting Posts You May Like...

Is Olive Oil Biodegradable? (And Ways to Dispose of)

Is Latex Biodegradable? (And Compostable?)

Are Soaps Biodegradable? (And Do They Expire?)

Are Detergents Biodegradable?

Is Bamboo Biodegradable? (And Bamboo Plastic?)

Is Silicone in Shampoo Bad for the Environment?

Search for: