The Sun

Cabragh Wetlands Trust is holding its annual Flag Day in Thurles this Saturday (18th), and there will be number of collection points around the town. Of course fund raising is the day’s main objective, and we hope that the good citizens of Tipperary will respond with the generosity they always show when charities and other worthy causes hold out their voracious collecting buckets, but it is also a good chance to talk to people, spread the word about what we are trying to do, spark interest and perhaps even gain some new members. So stop by at one of our collection tables; take the opportunity to find out a bit more about what we are up to.

Despite the frequent deluges of rain, there have been some lovely sunny mornings recently. It’s so easy to take the sun for granted – without its light and warmth we would be in a very sorry state. The sun is the source of so much on our planet, and with the fortieth anniversary looming of Neil Armstrong’s first moon landing, it is worth reflecting on the fragility and interdependence the units of our solar system. The sun supplies our energy needs and the needs of all life. We have come to regard the use of fossil fuels like coal and oil as normal. Our creativity in inventing technology which allows us to exploit and utilize these energy sources has been astonishing, but they are finite sources of energy and will not last much longer – not to mention the consequences for the environment and climate of massive carbon emissions. Our traditional energy sources are going to run low within the lifetime of most people reading this. It is not a theoretical problem for the distant future, it is an immediate problem for you, your children and your grandchildren. We are living off our deposit account and most of us are not acknowledging that it will run out. All of earth’s processes depend on the sun; they work well enough. There are just three of these processes. First the producers supply the food. Many millions of years ago plants learned to trap sunlight and turn it into food, a process known as photosynthesis – a major step in Earth’s evolution. Secondly came the consumer animals which eat the plants and turn them into food, like cattle eating grass. We fall into this category. The last group are the decomposers, like earthworms, which have the important task of breaking down material and making it available for the plants to take up. And so the cycle begins again. For almost four billion years this process has continued. It is well tried and tested. Mankind lives within this process, which looks after our needs so well. We too are part of this interconnected and interdependent community of life. At a time when there is such heightened environmental concern, our challenge is to allow the sun and Earth to provide for all of life, just as they have done so very well for so long.