Yes, i'm back in the US again.
Back from a long summer break in Taiwan, surrounded by people, activities and lively chaos.
This aspect of Asia is most nostalgic to me, and i had indulgently basked myself in it for the past few months.
No sooner was i there that i also realized it is this very freneticism that impedes many people in Asia to think much beyond their everyday lives. The government and its people share a very different relationship from that in Europe and America: while its mostly up to the common folks to work extremely hard to fend for themselves, everything on a national or global basis is left to the business of their government. So if its environmental issues we're talking about, "well, the government will handle it. "
For this reason, environmental awareness was hardly detectable amongst the public of Asian countries, and any news of it or measures to be taken were entirely up to the governing body's discretion. One positive aspect of this however, if executed, is its extent of influence : the Taiwanese government introduced the sale of plastic bags in all grocery and convenience stores several years ago in a bid to cut down on plastics, and recently even banned the use of paper or styrofoam cups in all government related functions.
Without a clear long-term agenda and awareness campaign however, citizens will not fully comprehend its importance (many Taiwanese only saw the conservation efforts as an inconvenient legislative law), and continue to undermine such efforts by other irresponsible actions against the environment. This brings to point that while i could easily access environmental reports in English on the WorldWideWeb, there are far too few translated reports in Chinese or other minor languages for non-English speaking (or other european languages) Asians to read up on as easily. (I'm chagrined to say that i am also ill-equipped to write my blog in Chinese for my Taiwanese counterparts!)
Censorship breeds ignorance, and ignorance breeds complacency.
But this is just one part of the story. In an economy-driven world, it is considered "frivolous" if conservation efforts were to supercede economic strategies, and many developing countries couldn't afford - nor are willing to abide to - the high price...not after their time of progress has finally come. Down to human-scale, what do you do when you tell a tree-cutter to "stop cutting down trees for sale or there won't be trees left tomorrow", and he'd reply that he and his family can only afford to live by the day?
Faced with all these disputes and complexities within and between countries, one has to concede that environmentalism has become just another poker deal for world leaders - all about money and gambling our chances with our only habitat.
However, as individuals, we don't have to judge upon the fairness of the game, nor wait for the outcome. So long as you're in a position to conserve and promote for the environment, do it.
Nothing's fair since the day we were born, why start debating about that now?
Think about it...you're lucky to afford to do so where others can't.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
How's the Weather Over There?
I was in the queue waiting to board the bus back to Providence this morning, and I overheard yet again the most popular topic we earthlings pick as a conversation starter:
“So did u have fun in the city while u were here?” a friendly man in the same line started asking another stranger behind him.
“What’s that? Oh, sure… the weather was surprisingly autumn though…I’ve never experienced such cold weather at a time like this in New York…”
“Oh yeah, usually summer temperature can be felt way into October even, easily 80-90 deg Fahrenheit, but this year…” the friendly man concurred, “Where you from by the way, I’m from Newport. You ever been there? It's up north, a beautiful place, with beaches…”
And the conversation gets an extended life.
It’s no wonder why the environment or weather always find its way back into everyday conversations… you may smirk, but this ubiquitous ice-breaker is probably the only common link man share that’s "diplomatic", harmless, yet significant enough to talk about.
But of course, a few countries do fall through the net in terms of significance.
From where i came (mono-season Singapore is blessed without a single natural calamity), chatting about the weather with my fellowmen can be a pretty mundane subject.
In contrast, when I hit upon the typhoon season in Taiwan this summer, the ignorant well-frog in me couldn't help being intrigued by all the hype and fuss an encroaching typhoon would stir up...
With its entitled name, XX Typhoon was just like a new starlet who literally took the town by storm (i couldnt help with the pun, sorry). Locals glued their eyes and ears to the media; some cursed n whined over jeopardized outings, some scrambled to prep their homes against flooding, yet others cheered at the prospect of a "national holiday" declared by the government...
And when she finally arrived, the God-fearing ones would meekly seek shelter n watch her perform her antics, throw her tantrums...ample time to worry about how to pick up the pieces left in her tracks later on.
All this is of course from the incorrigible frog's exhilarated perspective...only a native can truly relate to the havoc and trauma such natural disasters would cause - year after year.
For all the sophisticated scientific gadgets human intelligence could devise, mankind is always a few steps behind predicting forces of nature, much less seeking prevention. To this day, human errors and negligence combined with uncountable unaccountable factors have time and again resulted in cataclysmic tragedies:
The oversight of Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 due to the lack of tsunami warning systems in the Indian Ocean, and the extensive failures of levee systems during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are painfully raw reminders that still burn.
Indeed, when Mother Nature decides to unleash her wrath, who can really block her way?
List of Ten Deadliest Natural Disasters
Its not hard to imagine how such catastrophes must have seemed like "Judgment Day" for their victims. Fact is however, such are the natural cycles of the universe, and if our actions show more fear and respect for this planet, to some extent tragedies can be averted. (Points to note: Hurricane Katrina - A man-made disaster? In the Tsunami of 2004, human destruction of coral reefs played a significant role in aggravating the tragedy.)
Personally, i'd worry more about man-induced disasters that could hasten up this day. I found this on the internet:
List of "Causes of hypothetical future disasters",
Natural:
Every catastrophe - man-made or natural - that befell mankind had seemed like "Judgment Day" for the victims, served as a solemn warning for their neighbors, and gone unnoticed or unconcerned for the rest outside its locus of influence. Factor in human resilience, hubris and poor memory, and we'd find ourselves experiencing "dejavu" time and again throughout human history.
Mankind may have set foot on the four corners of the earth, but changes in seasons and weather are the best reminders that human species are extremely vulnerable; we don't dictate this planet...Nature rules, and the rules of survival are simple:
Want Mother Nature to grant us an extension?
Listen and learn from mistakes made.
“So did u have fun in the city while u were here?” a friendly man in the same line started asking another stranger behind him.
“What’s that? Oh, sure… the weather was surprisingly autumn though…I’ve never experienced such cold weather at a time like this in New York…”
“Oh yeah, usually summer temperature can be felt way into October even, easily 80-90 deg Fahrenheit, but this year…” the friendly man concurred, “Where you from by the way, I’m from Newport. You ever been there? It's up north, a beautiful place, with beaches…”
And the conversation gets an extended life.
It’s no wonder why the environment or weather always find its way back into everyday conversations… you may smirk, but this ubiquitous ice-breaker is probably the only common link man share that’s "diplomatic", harmless, yet significant enough to talk about.
But of course, a few countries do fall through the net in terms of significance.
From where i came (mono-season Singapore is blessed without a single natural calamity), chatting about the weather with my fellowmen can be a pretty mundane subject.
In contrast, when I hit upon the typhoon season in Taiwan this summer, the ignorant well-frog in me couldn't help being intrigued by all the hype and fuss an encroaching typhoon would stir up...
With its entitled name, XX Typhoon was just like a new starlet who literally took the town by storm (i couldnt help with the pun, sorry). Locals glued their eyes and ears to the media; some cursed n whined over jeopardized outings, some scrambled to prep their homes against flooding, yet others cheered at the prospect of a "national holiday" declared by the government...
And when she finally arrived, the God-fearing ones would meekly seek shelter n watch her perform her antics, throw her tantrums...ample time to worry about how to pick up the pieces left in her tracks later on.
All this is of course from the incorrigible frog's exhilarated perspective...only a native can truly relate to the havoc and trauma such natural disasters would cause - year after year.
For all the sophisticated scientific gadgets human intelligence could devise, mankind is always a few steps behind predicting forces of nature, much less seeking prevention. To this day, human errors and negligence combined with uncountable unaccountable factors have time and again resulted in cataclysmic tragedies:
The oversight of Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 due to the lack of tsunami warning systems in the Indian Ocean, and the extensive failures of levee systems during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are painfully raw reminders that still burn.
Indeed, when Mother Nature decides to unleash her wrath, who can really block her way?
List of Ten Deadliest Natural Disasters
 | Event  | Location | Date | Death Toll (Estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1931 Yellow River flood | Yellow River, China | 1931 summer | 1,000,000-4,000,000 |
| 2. | 1887 Yellow River flood | Yellow River, China | 1887, September-October | 900,000-2,000,000 |
| 3. | 1970 Bhola cyclone | Ganges Delta, East PakistanBangladesh) (Now | 1970 November 13 | 500,000-1,000,000 |
| 4. | 1938 Yellow River flood | Yellow River, China | 1938 | 500,000-900,000 |
| 5. | 1556 Shaanxi earthquake | Shaanxi Province, China | 1556 January 23 | 830,000 |
| 6. | 1839 India Cyclone | Coringa, India | 1839 November 25 | 300,000+ |
| 7. | 1642 Kaifeng Flood | Kaifeng, Henan Province, China | 1642 | 300,000 |
| 8. | 1976 Tangshan earthquake | Tangshan, China | 1976 July 28 | 242,000* |
| 9. | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami | Indian Ocean | 2004 December 26 | 230,000 |
| 10. | 1138 Aleppo earthquake | Syria | 1138 | 230,000 |
Its not hard to imagine how such catastrophes must have seemed like "Judgment Day" for their victims. Fact is however, such are the natural cycles of the universe, and if our actions show more fear and respect for this planet, to some extent tragedies can be averted. (Points to note: Hurricane Katrina - A man-made disaster? In the Tsunami of 2004, human destruction of coral reefs played a significant role in aggravating the tragedy.)
Personally, i'd worry more about man-induced disasters that could hasten up this day. I found this on the internet:
List of "Causes of hypothetical future disasters",
Natural:
- Famine
- Supervolcano
- Asteroid impact event
- Megatsunami
- Cumbre Vieja
- Cascadia Megathrust earthquake
- Hypernova
- Dysgenics
- Famine
- Overpopulation
- Nuclear warfare
- Pandemic
- Peak Oil
- Gulf Stream shutdown
- Antibiotic resistance
- Global warming
Every catastrophe - man-made or natural - that befell mankind had seemed like "Judgment Day" for the victims, served as a solemn warning for their neighbors, and gone unnoticed or unconcerned for the rest outside its locus of influence. Factor in human resilience, hubris and poor memory, and we'd find ourselves experiencing "dejavu" time and again throughout human history.
Mankind may have set foot on the four corners of the earth, but changes in seasons and weather are the best reminders that human species are extremely vulnerable; we don't dictate this planet...Nature rules, and the rules of survival are simple:
Want Mother Nature to grant us an extension?
Listen and learn from mistakes made.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
