I’ve often wondered how the media would respond when eco-apocalypsestruck. I pictured the news programmes producing brief, sensational reports, while failing to explain why it was happening or how it might be stopped. Then they would ask their financial correspondents how the disaster affected share prices, before turning to the sport. As you can probably tell, I don’t have an ocean of faith in the industry for which I work. What I did not expect was that they would ignore it. A great tract of Earth is on fire. It looks as you might imagine hell to be. The air has turned ochre: visibility in some cities has been reduced to 30 metres. Children are being prepared for evacuation in warships; already some have choked to death. Species are going up in smoke at an untold rate. It is almost certainly the greatest environmental disaster of the 21st century – so far.Indonesia is burning. So why is the world looking away? | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian
What's this guy going on about? Along with death squads and war criminals I believe he went on to blame farmers, democrats, Obama, Starbucks, Pepsi and.....ketchup. I think maybe he needs to find a tree ASAP and hug it out.
Great to meet another Guardianista here. I don't know about the others on this forum here but for myself I do my best to be as eco-aware as possible. I am sure there is lots more I could do, but as the saying goes, every little helps - which is why a "save the planet" remark is passed when the girl that serves me in the Sari-Sari tries to wrap a pack of cigs in a plastic bag for me. This is on an Industrial scale and is nothing short of catastrophic. As the article points out it is just not the damage to the atmosphere and human health but the devastation of plant and animal species that is going on. And here in the Phils we are suffering the effects with the haze (see previous posts). I sometimes wonder what would happen if the people really stood up to their unelected and elected masters to demand this is to stop. I believe people to be naturally good, concerned and caring about their world and I haven't got a half decent explanation as to why there hasn't been a mass protest followed by a genuine and effective International response. I just imagine bouncing the grandkids on my knees as we suck in purified air at P1000 per cubic litre pumped by AgroMassiveIndustries Inc (Your Preferred Supplier. Introductory offer only P800 na lang) and remarking, "yes once upon a time kids there were such things as Coral Reefs, Tigers and Forests. In fact the island we are sat on was once surrounded by Coral and if we can afford the radiation suits next Christmas we can go to see the remains of Dumaguete peeking out of the toxic sea- soup. Wouldn't that be fun?"
Cerne and DaveL, I fully understand and agree with the contents of the article refered to. I general I dare say that the so-called civilised world is governed and/or run by a great number of brain-dead morons that can only recognise Dollar or Euro signs. The only credo they (and their sheep-like followers) believe in is money, the more the better and if you have to ruin your planet in the process to obtain your goals for another 10 million, that's irrelevant. Stupidity rules...
I started skippering ships in that area back in the early 90,s it was bad then and i dont know of a year sense that fires have not happened. Borneo is a very large island that had much undeveloped land, locals know the area well but others find the going hard if they are trying to police any illegal development there. Greed, and supply and demand of course is driving the clearing . if every one stopped buying palm oil it may slow down the killing of wild life and fires
When I sailed through there in August 1997, the smoke was so bad I had to sail around 500 mtr's from an island just to see it.
