Feeling the Heat

Global warming is the “hot” topic nowadays. It’s no longer the domain of scientists postulating what will happen way in the future, for we are waking up to the frightening realities today.

A friend recounts returning to his Central Java village; the towering tamarind trees of his youth have disappeared, as have the flocks of birds that came to roost at sunset. Taxi drivers mutter ominously about the bizarre weather patterns, from sudden rainstorms to unusually long dry spells, and the office secretary wonders if it is all a sign that Doomsday is imminent.

This month we explore global warming’s effects on Indonesia, from Bali to a remote corner of Kalimantan where the age-old ways of life have already been inexorably changed.

It’s a bleak picture, but there is still hope. We also hear about people who are doing their part to make a difference. Among the examples is an innovative program that teaches unemployed youths organic farming methods and a Yogyakarta man who has turned his village into a thriving recycling hub.

They are the good examples to follow in changing our ways to safeguard the environment. With all of us doing our share, from adopting recycling, saving energy and leaving a little less of a carbon footprint, we can help turn down the heat.



( Bruce Emond )

Home