A statistic from the U. S. of A. claims that the League of Conservative Voters has asked Whitehouse contenders 2,975 questions, but sadly only six of those questions have concerned climate change. Compare that with the twelve questions posed on UFO's and you'll get an idea of the importance placed on the subject!
Here in London the Mayoral election is very different but also highlights a lack of general concern in a key area. All candidates have mentioned greenhouse gas emissions, but generally, references to wildlife conservation are as rare as some of the most threatened species we're working to save. Being the RSPB, we're working to bring this fact to the attention of both candidates and voters; with information to show why wildlife matters.
I often wonder what would happen if we found another planet that could support us. Would we have a care for any existing new lifeforms we find there, or would we be as considerate to them as we are to the lifeforms that share our existing planet? That's the sort of question my nine-year-old daughter would ask, but I offer no apology for including it here.
Our very presence has an impact on wildlife. If we take an historical journey back in time from the perspective of London's house sparrows we can see how exactly what I mean. Pre-Roman London was a wooded valley that would have had a healthy population of sparrows living in the dense undergrowth. As people settled and started raising animals the sparrows would have started to leave the woods and take advantage of the crops those early settlers grew and the food they put out for their pigs, horses and hens. Fast-forward and we'd see house sparrows abandoning the shrubs and woods for the settlements that grew and grew. The sparrow population expanded too until it reached such a level that these small birds became a pest that was hunted and slaughtered in the thousands. Then came the demise of horse drawn transport and the food-oats and horse-muck vanished from the city. Sparrows hung on but we then started using chemicals to control weeds and pests and the age of the car led to a great deal of land being lost to roads and car parking. Now house sparrows are vanishing at an alarming rate, unable to adapt to the surroundings we've created.
We have a moral obligation to conserve the cockney sparrow, just as we have a moral obligation to manage our planet for all the lifeforms that live here; including politicians. So, I urge you to look after your politicians. Sustain them by registering to vote. Put out information for them to consume about other lifeforms and with a bit of support, they'll help build a cleaner, healthier world fit for all its inhabitants.