Our Sick Environment

I shudder to think the past events that has been happening since the tsunami. Strong winds, more earthquakes, heavy rain and floods that we just watched on the telly without experiencing it. We thought we were lucky. Then our turn came.

Floods. Terrible floods in our southern state that devastated many. Johor hasn't yet recovered and Pahang is already getting the same fate. Kuala Selangor was asked to be prepared. It is creeping nearer and nearer to us. Selfishly, I quickly assessed the situation for my family. I live on top of the hill. So does my mom and my sister. My brother lives on the 5th floor at Bukit Jelutong. His new house however is beneath a hacked hill. My new house is somewhat in the middle of a hill. There are houses that are above mine but there are houses that nestled below us too... So probably my new abode will be safe.

Now throw away my selfish need to save my loved ones first, I am thinking about those that are in real threat of their livelihood being literally, swept away.

As in the Quran, all catastrophe bears a story and warnings from Allah. Let's not dwell on the moral warnings as that is what most of us thought of first. Let us talk about what have we done to preserve this world that Allah has given us ? What have we done to say thank you for this home that we have so selfishly used as a mere tenant ? We destroyed it through industry and our great need to live in comfort.

I quote a climatologist David Pierce of San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, " If carbon dioxide has a colour, if people saw the sky getting darker, people would have no problem recognising what is going on." What is going on ? The world's daily output of manmade carbon dioxide, from burning fossil fuels, is 11% greater today that a decade ago. The planet is warming. NASA reported that the global temperatures rose almost 1 degrees Fahrenheit from 1981 to 1988. ( quoted from www.wired.com)

If greehouse gases aren't cut back soon, temperatures could rise, expanding oceans, causing drought, intesifying storms and altering climates. Our own scientist reported that due to melted icebergs in Greenland, Johor is flooded. What melted Greenland ? High temperature. What causes high temperature ?

To make things worse, pokok bakau from the swamps that has been fencing Johor has been cleared for development. In Penang, after the tsunami, the same trees that they deemed improper was planted back as a fort to guard Penang. Haven't we learnt anything ? Will we start learning after this ?

Kyoto Protocol doesn't really help without the participation of US as they are one of the biggest manufacturer of C02. Their reasoning ? Higher energy cost ( from imposing energy taxes ) would seriously damage the economy. But surely, as they always pompously reminded us in "third world country" of their importance and ingenuity, they could think of something to offset the economics damage ?

The Malaysian government is looking to impose car entry fee into KL to curb traffic congestion. I agree to it as it will help to make KL greener with considerable lesser amount of C02, but please upgrade the public transportations first. More buses and trains. Please have some sense to build trains that run on the same kind of tracks so that they can intertwine and weave and we, your lesser subjects can have easier time hopping from one public transport to another, to and from work. We will be generating income that is taxable which the corrupt politicians can steal from. See, it is a win win situation for all.

Make the tracks longer so that it could reach all KL satellite cities, including Shah Alam. Please remember your own "Sayangilah Keluarga" campaign, as how can we be with our families if it takes us 4 hours to travel daily. Please ensure your campaigns coincide with each other, that is all. How can I sayang my family if due to the inept bus and trains services that break down often, too full I can't even squeeze my hair in and have to wait for the next one ( if I am lucky ) and jarang - jarang ( please think of PRamlee in Nujum Pak Belalang when you say jarang - jarang ) ada, when I get home my babies are already sleeping and my spouse is already seeing someone else due to my absense ?? How can I not be absent when I spend more time in a vehicle more than I do in my own home ?

Right now, eventhough our ( me and Dan ) offices are like 5 minutes apart ( I could walk to his office from mine ), it is difficult for us to carpool as our jobs require us to travel during working hours. So then the government should make company cars tax deductable or a law. If we have enough company cars, I do not have to drive my own car to work.

Help !! Government of Malaysia, please grow some brains !! Mana Allah tak turun kan bala ? Please remember the people of Sodom and Gonorhea. Listen to what Allah SWT is trying to say.

What am I grumbling about ? I thought I was talking about the floods in Johor and how we are not taking care of the environment which is really amanah Allah ?

Hmm.......... ( it was the carbon dioxide talking... )