Here we go again

MANILA, Philippines — This journey began in Islamabad, Pakistan, the country formed by Mohamed Ali Jinnah after it broke away from India in 1947. India, the jewel of the British Empire, was lost to Mahatma Gandhi, a peacemaker who got independence from British rule.??

The primary purpose of our visit was to attend the IUCN Asian Regional Conservation forum on Nov. 6 to 8, 2019 to tackle environmental problems in the region. To our surprise, all the highways were closed, blocked by container vans put by the government to stop the opposition demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister incumbent, Imran Khan. It took us more than two hours to get to the hotel from the airport which was only 21 kilometers away.

?Civil unrest and more Arab springs are in the making due to the inequalities of life. From Hong Kong, Lebanon, Algeria, Catalonia, Chile to France. Climate change is partly to blame as food, water and basic needs have become scarce and prices rise. Yet corruption and greed are inexplicably present.??

Climate change is man induced and so is poverty, greed and the current development model. As I write this, Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil giant is planning the largest IPO in history, $10 billion per one percent at a market valuation of $1 trillion or more amid the shade of black carbon.  

The killer oil that has warmed the planet

Get out of fossil fuels people and do it fast we do not have the luxury of time. The ice is melting and the seas are rising and more Arab springs will take place as the people will rise up against the one percent who act like they own the world. They continue to stimulate the economy by printing more money thus devaluing paper money and creating inflation destroying purchasing power.  

Quantitative easing they say. I say fake news. It is my hope that a sea change happens soon.??Islamabad reminds me of Marawi City, all in ruins. Yet our people patiently wait for action to rehabilitate this ravaged city. Here, they are taking to the streets. Pakistan, India and China are positioning for control of Tibet – the heaven of water. India invaded Kimi and China invaded Tibet, and the Dalai Lama is a refugee. Beijing is suffering from water shortages as the Gobi desert expands and nears the Great Wall.

Water is the next war issue and it is a finite and dwindling resource. Back home we have a water shortage due to no more forest to catch the rain its source. No dam will solve this problem. It’s just common sense. 

It breaks my heart to see how shallow and greedy our world leaders can get. We all have our battles to fight and it is my hope that a new world order is born and environmental destruction becomes a part of the past as we journey through time.??

The RCF started with speeches on the sad state of our forest and coral reefs by IUCN president Zhang Xinsheng and the effects of climate change. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicate a dramatic drop in fish catch in the Pacific Ocean and this will escalate as the destruction of the richest coral colonies in the world continue. 

This we cannot allow for a marine ecological disaster is eminent. The Nikkei Asian Review reported a decline in Japanese fish catch particularly smelt, a national staple. The coral triangle is under siege.??Now on a humorous note, the 7th RCF and the ecological degradation figures continue to grow, prompting me to ask, what are we doing? Nothing but taking and talk is cheap. I call on all like-minded Davids to get their slings and fight the Goliath monsters implementing the vision for a just world that values and conserves nature.