Grey sea and sky by J.M.W. Turner

The Shipwreck by J.M.W. Turner (Photo by Diana Feliciano)

I have been several times to the Tate Modern Museum in London but never visited the other Tate, the Tate Britain, until last year. I passed by and decided to enter. As soon as I was inside the museum I learnt there were guided visits to the collections and happily found out that one of those visits was to the collection of the great British painter William Turner. I felt so lucky!!! The Tate Britain hosts the largest collection of works by Turner, whose style is unmistakable. Themes painted by Turner include seascapes, countryside scenes, gothic cathedrals, landscape and history, fire and water. My favourites are the seascape paintings such as the Shipwreck, first exhibited in 1805. The other very popular painting I like a lot is Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps. Turner was a very rich man which allowed him to paint as he wanted and to be innovative. He was also a very eccentric person. On my first visit to Barnard Castle, where I now spend much of my time, I was told that he has been there and painted from the bridge across the River Tees. A good movie on the life of Turner is: "Mr. Turner" with Timothy Spall.

Grey smoke from muirland burning

In one of my walks last year, I saw this scene of moorland burning in the North York Moors National Park. I have witnessed this many times in Scotland, before, but because I was at the time contributing to the land use section of the UK net-zero report by the CCC, this image shuddered me. Moorland burning is the planned burning of small areas of older heather, mostly undertaken by private Estate owners with the objective of regenerating the heather and of promoting blueberries essential to feed red grouse and deer. It is very sad that we hardly see any other wildlife (e.g. birds of prey, which should be abundant in an ecosystem full of grouse and deer. This is because private Estates manage these huge amounts of land to promote only a couple of species for the pleasure of rich hunters that fly from the big cities and from other countries to shoot them. It is also unacceptable that when all sectors of the economy have to set targets to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2050, or even before, private Estate owners are not presenting alternative management options in moorland areas. To stop carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions resulting from heather burning and the associated damage of blanket bogs, which are very important reservoirs of carbon, is essential to achieve several sustainable development goals (SDGs). A common excuse from managers is that burnings are controlled and do not damage blanket bogs but two questions are posed: Is this really checked and monitored by Defra and/or Natural England? Why does heather/burning continue only for the pleasure of a few, who also add to the carbon emissions budget of this land use by flying to these places for shooting? A more climate smart management practice is required. This could be to let native trees and vegetation to thrive, as this would conserve the peat and sequester carbon, and contribute to the net zero targets. Landowners could claim subsidies if they could prove they are providing ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, water conservation, and biodiversity.