I think that the issue of the contribution to global warming from the annual
Twitchathons is a worthy topic of debate. I also think that the
contribution resulting from a one day activity needs to be put into
perspective. Every day there are birdos using fossil fuels and adding to
the Greenhouse gas loads to allow them to tick off birds. There are also
birdos who carry out systematic studies or scientific research. There are
also people out chasing trains, going to the speedway or just burning fuel
for a day out.
To single out the Twitchathon is a little unfair, especially if those
suggesting radical penalties are also guilty and if you travel anywhere,
other than by walking or by pushbike, or use electricity from the grid then
you are guilty.
People involved in the Twitchathon do need to be cognisant of the greenhouse
implications. These impacts can be reduced by:
sharing the one vehicle (which I presume is usually the done thing);
driving at moderate, not excessive, speeds;
balancing the impacts by reducing everyday demands on energy and doing earth
friendly volunteer work or buying greenhouse credits as offsets;
providing the details of any threatened and rare birds recorded to the
relevant state authorities or records officers.
I believe that the goodwill and funds generated by a little friendly
competition once a year is worth the potential impact on the planet,
particularly when the impacts can be offset.
Don't misunderstand me. I am a strong advocate of doing all we can to
minimise our impact on the planet. I have a solar hot water system, a
rainwater tank and a local native plant garden and turning the lights off
tonight will not be hard as we usually only have one on at a time.
Let's just keep the annual Twitchathon, and its impacts, in perspective.
Sitting in an armchair for hours might suit some people but it isn't very
healthy. Accessing sites by pushbike would be great but is not always
practical.
Greg Clancy
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