Rivers as living things: MacFarlanes fight against the destruction of nature

Rivers as living things: MacFarlanes fight against the destruction of nature

Chennai, Indien - The influence of climate change on rivers and the question of whether rivers can be regarded as living things are the focus of the new studies and literary works. Robert MacFarlane addresses this in his latest story about the fascination and the challenges of rivers worldwide. He travels to three significant rivers: the Rio Los Cedros in Ecuador, the Ennore Creek in India and the Muthekau Ship in Canada, examining the ecological and social threats with which these waters are confronted. According to his observation, people who have experience with natural rivers would probably answer the question of whether rivers are living beings, a perspective that is questioned by the experience in heavily polluted and channeled rivers in Central Europe.

MacFarlane begins his journey on the sources of a small English river that is almost dried up in the summer of 2022 and linked its experiences with the global effects of climate change on waterways. The butt in Italy is an alarming example that is almost dry. The author shows the important role of rivers in the ecosystem and their historical characteristics of the landscapes, which are increasingly at risk through human interventions.

threats for rivers worldwide

A central focus of MacFarlanes is on the challenges in front of which rivers are facing. In Ecuador, the Rio Los Cedros is threatened by the wild mining. The state's constitution contains the right to integrity and liveliness of the rivers, but international mining companies put these principles under pressure and endanger not only the rivers, but also the surrounding landscape. MacFarlane documents the diverse forms of life along the river and the dangers that threaten mining.

In India, a river activist in Chennai struggles to revitalize the heavily dirty rivers of the city. In particular, the coum river, which is abused as a sewer, is a bad example of the state of urban waterways. The Ennore Creek also threatens to be repaid out of the map as an industrial colloake. The traditionally created system for water retention in Chennai finds increasingly difficulties under the pressure of modern growth.

In the context of these threats, MacFarlane reflects on the effects of destruction on the poorest sections of the population that are directly affected by the pollution and decline in water quality.

climate change and aquatic biodiversity

While MacFarlane inserts the literary and drama of river trips, the subject of aquatic biodiversity is also examined by scientific studies. A research program in Switzerland examines the influence of warming on biological indices of water quality. Data that comes from various biodiversity monitoring programs in Switzerland show that temperature changes influence species distribution and the macro-vertebrate taxa in rivers.

The study results indicate that in the event of moderate warming, such as 2 ° C, the biological composition will not be badly affected in the coming decades. This could mean that the measurement of water quality also remains reliable, provided that there are no extreme heating events. The challenges that climate change for the rivers and their ecosystems entail require a rethink and increased protection of the waterways.

Overall, MacFarlan's journey and the accompanying scientific knowledge illustrates the importance of rivers as essential elements of life on earth as well as the urgent need to protect and revitalize these natural resources.