Bare spots in Holly Lodge Estate, Highgate

• PLEASE attend to environmental destruction under your direct control, Camden.

I refer to the regular mowing of verges between road and pavement in Holly Lodge Estate.

For years I have watched pollinators flock to wildflowers only to starve when the verges are mowed.

As our climate dries, mowing leads to erosion. I have photographed a few bare spots (see above). Casual observation reveals many more.

The result: loss of soil when it finally rains. Eventually the pavement will become unstable. It is not hard to imagine your next move: paving the verges with concrete.

Ecological catastrophe is not just a smokestack issue. It is the consequence of millions of acts of neglect.

Breathless proclamations about soil, pollinators and green policy do nothing to counter regular acts of environmental destruction.

Some may argue that uncut verges are ugly signs of neglect. England’s lush past enabled this aesthetic, but aesthetics evolve.

Future generations will enjoy urban meadows and the abundance of life they support.

Uncut verges capture carbon, filter pollution and harbour a healthy biome that has undiscovered benefits. Please consider letting the verges grow naturally – starting today.

DR ALI HOSSAINI
Co-director, National Gallery X
Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Department of Engineering
King’s College