Care for the environment and it will care for us

This last year has been tough, there’s no doubt about that.

But it has also been interesting and enlightening in what it has shown us about ourselves – and about modern life in particular.

On the one hand, confined to home except for essential reasons and warned to stay away from other people, our worlds have become much smaller.

At the same time, this enforced seclusion and narrowing of horizons has brought the way we live into sharper focus.

For many thedaily venture outdoors for exercise has been a lifesaver, providing escape and – literally – a breath of fresh air. Such excursions have made us take more notice of our surroundings and given us a new appreciation of the natural world and our wonderful wildlife.

But we’re also becoming increasingly concerned over the negative effects our activities are having, on our own doorsteps and across the globe.

We’re facing both a climate emergency and a biodiversity crisis, with the world heating up and species vanishing at an unprecedented rate. We’re more aware of the pollution that is damaging human health and endangering wildlife, whether it’s litter piling up in our streets, countryside and seas or toxic traffic fumes clouding the atmosphere.

The coming weeks, months and years are going to be crucial in shaping how we look after our planet.

The eyes of the world will be on Scotland and the UK in the run-up to the United Nations climate summit Cop26 in Glasgow in November.

Green issues are higher on the political agenda than ever before as we head to the polls next month, with some claiming it will be the ‘climate election’. But as restrictions ease and we move towards a more ‘normal’ way of life, we should remember some of the lessons lockdown has taught us.

Action taken to control the pandemic has demonstrated that massive societal changes can happen virtually overnight if there’s a will – and a true belief that it’s necessary to stave off catastrophe. We can save the planet, but we must do it together.