The Clock Is Ticking

A month on from Christmas already. Snowdrops and early primroses push through the frozen earth to open their blooms and a flash of yellow shows vividly against a clear blue sky as a male siskin flits amongst the dusky pink of nascent alder catkins: signs that the world is turning and we are moving towards spring. Further signs that spring is on its way are the Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend (27th – 29th January), and National Nest Box Week next month between 14-21st February, which encourages more people to help birds by putting up nest boxes.

There has been other news of time changing this week – less welcome news. The news from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that the hands on the Doomsday Clock have been moved to just 90 seconds to midnight – the closest that the planet has ever been, since the clock was instituted in 1947, to total destruction. There are those who argue that the clock is no longer relevant because it originally only measured the threat from nuclear weapons, and now takes into account other threats such as climate change. Whether that makes it more or less valid from a scientific point of view, if the warning makes humanity wake up to the severity of the situation in which it finds itself, it serves a very important purpose indeed.

It can seem at times that the problems facing the world are insuperable – but think how much worse they would be if it weren’t for the activities of members of HGN and other similar organisations around the country and around the world getting out there and organising, campaigning, protesting  and doing what they can. ‘Time’ is a theme running through many of the posts in this week’s newsletter – read on for details of events and activities coming up.

 

 

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