Anja Murray: Time in nature is such a powerful antidote to feelings of frustration and helplessness

Feeding my enchantment is what keeps me connected, curious, and able to remain engaged in the many battles to advocate for the rights of nature

Purple flower heads of Devil’s-bit scabious bobbing at the edge of Gougane Barra lake. Picture: Anja Murray

After a late bout of summer heat and sunshine, I’m inclined to feel a little glum about the return of the endless drizzle and the shortening days. For many of us, finding the time to fit outdoor excursions in nature into the weekly routine is not so easy either. And as September’s busy schedule sets in, there’s a sense of being hit extra hard by the realities of rising emissions, climate chaos and the rapidly unravelling stability of natural ecosystems here and across the world.

Glancing through Twitter, I see the latest figures report that Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 17% between the last quarter of 2022 and 2023, and are now twice that of the average EU citizen. While emissions rise, more and more people are accepting that radical change is needed, urgently. A recently published Eurobarometer poll shows that 78% of Irish people consider climate change to be ‘a very serious problem’ and that the Government is not doing enough to tackle it. I read last week that a whopping 60% of wild birds here are red- or amber-listed as ‘Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland’.