Timing is everything

CEBU, Philippines —  Today, disasters, whether man-made or natural, are just so prevalent and dominating. For one, the destructions inflicted by Russia in Ukraine and the carnage in Gaza (Israel) lead all man-made disasters to this day. On the other hand, typhoons and earthquakes and the consequential landslides and floods that are blamed on climate change have become so frequent and seemed the new normal. Though totally different, both disasters destroy lives and properties.

However, while the effects of climate change may take some time to address and nature’s wrath will definitely stay for the time being, man-made disasters (like the war in Ukraine and Gaza), can definitely be stopped at once. Sadly, however, it seems that this war has been used by advanced nations to showcase their military technologies so that other wealthy countries may buy their weapons of mass destructions. Undeniably, serving the business interests of these powerful countries’ defense contractors.

While the resolution of these conflicts (though totally dependent on the whims and caprices of the superpowers) is seemingly far and the timing is downright unpredictable, let us deal with, for the time being, concerns that more often affect every global citizen. These are natural disasters.

Agreeably, this is due primarily to the indiscriminate disposal of non-biodegradable wastes like plastic bags and any other rubbish that come from fossil fuel. And if in case you missed it, according to the United Nations Environment Program, we produce about 300 million tons (almost the weight of the entire human population) of plastic wastes annually.

These huge emissions did not happen overnight. Decades of greed made it happen.  Notably too, more than a decade (2006-2011) ago, a group of start-ups and venture capitalists attempted to solve this malady by pushing the “clean-tech” initiatives (referred to as Clean-Tech 1.0). Sadly though, it never took off and venture capitalists lost billions in investments.

While the technology was there, John Weyant, a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford, said that the “advanced biofuels, thin-film solar companies, and all sorts of energy storage startups of the era were simply too immature and too expensive to be commercialized.”

Today, however, Clean-Tech 2.0 is creating a stir.  Whether it is driven by the effects of the pandemic, we do not know. There are, at least, two reasons though that might be credited for that. US President Biden’s call for clean energy and the technology that is getting better and cheaper.

As one of the biggest producers and the largest consumer of fossil fuel, that was the right call by Pres. Biden. Whether he should be credited for it, the fact remains that huge and influential investors (like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson) are either joining or bolstering their investment in clean technology.

On the other hand, we may have a lot of issues against China, but it is a fact that 8 of the 10 biggest manufacturers of solar equipment (panels, batteries, etc.) are Chinese. This is one of the reasons that clean technology is getting cheaper. Therefore, everything considered, today is the best time to go for it.

Moreover, domestically, there is something going on at the Department of Agriculture (DA) that is worth looking into. Well, it seems positive and a good move. Notably, as El Niño (characterized by low to zero rainfall and temperature that is higher than usual) inevitably comes in November until the first quarter of 2024, DA is advising farmers “to grow short gestation plants and those that do not require so much water and those needing only a shorter time to harvest.” Specifically, it recommended crops like “corn, carrots, cabbage, beans, tomato, squash, broccoli, sweet peas, onion leeks, and radish.” All of which require less water to grow.

For animal farming, the DA likewise said that “the effects of El Niño can also be lessened by feeding cows with corn and sugarcane as well as legumes, which are good sources of protein for animals.” For fisheries, “the recommendation is to choose tilapia and bangus (milk fish) since these are resistant to heat, as well as catfish and mudfish which lives and thrives in muds.” If we may add, if a farm is situated in typhoon paths, we should find high value crops that can be planted and harvested in typhoon-free months.

Indeed, just like anything we do in life, this advisory tells us that even in deciding what and when to plant crops or raise animals, timing is important. In fact, not only that it is important, as Garrett Hedlund’s (a country singer) put it in his big hit called “Timing is everything,” “It can happen so fast or a little too late. Timing is everything.”