Loss of a Secure Future

Abodes of men irregularly massed
Like trees in forests,
- spread through spacious tracts.
O’er which the smoke of unremitting fires
Hangs permanent, and plentiful as wreaths
Of vapour glittering in the morning sun.
And, wheresoe’er the traveller turns his steps
He sees the barren wilderness erased,
Or disappearing

***

I grieve, when on the darker side
Of this great change I look; and there behold
Such outrage done to nature as compels
The indignant power to justify herself;
Yea, to avenge her violated rights.
For England’s bane.

William Wordsworth (1814)
The Excursion (extract)

A small copse of eerie trees with pale bark and ghostly grey-green foliage.

The world is changing rapidly. The global population is booming, cities are expanding, and the world is becoming more industrial. We are losing our green spaces. Climate change, driven by relentless emissions, disrupts our planet's balance; according to NASA, the summer of 2023 was the hottest on record. Deforestation continues at an alarming rate, erasing habitats and worsening the crisis.

These images, with a looming red sky, suggest a bleak future. Our once-thriving green spaces and vast blue skies could be replaced with desolation and decay. Nature is being strangled and choked by our emissions and we are destroying the world around us in the name of progress. We are sacrificing our future for the sake of our present. The world cannot sustain us.

What happens next is up to us; if we can unite and take immediate global action, we may be able to secure a hopeful future. If we cannot... perhaps that hope is already lost.

Fig. 2 - The White Trees. A line of white trees set in a field of white grass with a stark vermilion sky.

Fig. 3 - The Last Lake. A once-peaceful blue lake surrounded by greying trees and a flock of orange-tinged birds flying off into the fiery sky.

Fig. 4 - Red Lake. A tranquil lake reflects the surrounding white-leafed forest and ominous red sky.

Fig. 5 - Future Reflections. The reflection of the white trees in the red lake is surprisingly clear.

Poetry:

The Excursion (extract) - William Wordsworth (1814)

Locations:

Fig. 1, 3-5 - Tehidy Woods, Camborne.

Fig. 2 - The Merry Maidens Stone Circle, Penzance.

References:

NASA Science - The Effects of Climate Change.