Ditching the distractions: 'Why I’m not a fan of the three M's — Motors, Mobiles & Mutts'

In my travels these days, I’m finding that many people partake of the 3 M's, often in combination. As one who indulges in none (my old Nokia is not a smart phone!), I’ve been pondering why this is happening in our modern world. As mentioned in a previous blog, I gave up my car for environmental reasons. I’ve always preferred cats to dogs as more practical pets and their independence suits me – though I accept that they kill birds! 

Motors

The passenger car has been the primary means of transport in Ireland and is not decreasing. We now have 2.5m cars on our roads – the highest number ever. They are also getting bigger, with lots more SUV’s being sold – now more than 50% of the private car market. This worsens the effects of climate change, increases air pollution and adds to traffic congestion. However, owning a car appears to now be in our DNA, even for most city folk who could operate without one. When families were asked if they would consider giving up their SECOND car to help reduce global warming, only 5% said yes! An Taisce has consistently spoken out about the unsustainability of private motoring including the terrible impacts on clean air: https://www.antaisce.org/blog/take-action-for-clean-air/  

Mobiles

The smart phone has taken over the world in an incredibly short time. There are over 6.5 billion smart phones in existence which represents 84% of the global population! An awful lot of earth’s precious resources are used for phones and their batteries. Renewing them leads to mountains of e-waste, and recycling of them is a tiny fraction of their turnover.  The carbon footprint of data centres is increasing dramatically in large part caused by burgeoning smart phone sales and their hugely-increased usage. Electricity consumption of them has shot up to 21% of the Irish grid (from 5% in 2015), way ahead of other countries.  An Taisce in 2022:  https://www.breakingnews.ie/business/amazon-gets-green-light-for-meath-data-centre-despite-an-taisce-opposition-1294050.html. What is the attraction of these mobile computers? It is a constant hand-held companion while walking, waiting or drinking in a pub. What exactly are people watching at that point in time? Is there something missing in our world that is replaced by the screen in our lap? Young people seem to be transfixed by their phones as they crouch over the screen and the world outside is excluded. 

Mutts

The ownership of dogs is also on the increase and took off during the pandemic. Dogs coming out of shelters and giving unwanted or strays a new home is to be encouraged. Often, I’ll see people with more than one and I wonder about the chances of dog poo in the parks and on the street. Many parks have signs that dogs must be on a lead to protect local wildlife, especially birds - a law that is observed more in the breach than the observance. The range of dogs is staggering with all sorts of breeding and cross-breeding going on, along with the good-old mongrels (Heinz57). Some cross-bred dogs are not able to function properly in their bodily actions, especially in their faces, because owners constantly want to see “cute” dogs emerging from the breeders. Dogs can cost up to €2,000 to buy and a similar amount to keep it for a year. There are also GHG emissions in a dog’s life, if somewhat lower than their owner. I hasten to add that I exclude environmental activists who love their dog! An Taisce has also written about dogs, in relation to Blue Flag beaches (for which they have come in for unfair criticism): https://beachawards.ie/blue-flag/dog-restrictions-on-blue-flag-beaches/ Why do we need a bespoke dog to help us through the 21st Century? My pets are free and independent, like the birds I see in my garden and in local parks, often using binoculars. They are maintenance-free, and I don’t worry about them when on holidays. 

All three at the same time

Recently, I have noticed a pronounced concentration of the 3 M's together. I see people drive to parks with their dog and proceed to use their mobiles while inside. What is the point of a walk in the park if they are distracted by the phone? Kids will be given a phone with games while the parents chat on their phones – so no family communication. Phoning while leading a dog leads to a lack of attention to the surroundings. I’ve noticed drivers sitting in their idling SUVs and using their phones.  Use of motors, mobiles and mutts means that we are cutting ourselves off from the built and natural environment around us. Without attention, we may cease to care for it and help preserve it for future generations. This is certainly happening with biodiversity loss, where we are losing touch with reduced biomass, and thus not jumping up and down about it. 

So, what about leaving the phone at home? Walk or cycle to the park and replace the mutt with the wildlife around us? It will save you money and give you a better experience of the world out there in all its glory. It will enhance your physical and mental health. You will appreciate our fragile world and embolden us all to look after it. Keep life simple! 

Postscript: The above was written mainly in summer 2022 in the aftermath of the Covid 19 pandemic. At this point in 2024, I would emphasise that many of my environmentalist friends love their dogs and I’m happy about that. Having an inexpensive or unwanted mutt separate from the other 2 M's is fine. My overarching point is that the use of the 3 M's together and in combination is detrimental to our environment and not good for human general health. Anyway, I’m still struggling with the damage cats do to birds, and I’m a keen birdwatcher! At the end of the day, I don’t have all the answers, but hopefully some of my musings are thought-provoking ...