7 Malaysia - Environmental disaster

I have just got back from the airport, where I was in tears as I was cuddling and saying goodbye to my children. It's not been easy at times since we have arrived. Jesse has hit the 'terrible twos' stage, he has had some irregular sleeping patterns, and has not been well the past few days. So on paper, the thought of having a 'rest' and a 'break' from the kids sounded marvellous. It's not until I actually wished them goodbye that all my emotions came pouring out and I wished they weren't going. I am not going to see them for a few days. 

Part of the reason they are leaving Malaysia for a short period is that there is a serious environmental problem rearing its ugly head right now. They are going to escape it for a few days and visit Thailand, along with their grandma, who is here visiting at the moment. It all began last week, when a haze descended over the country, affecting the air quality and the visibility. It has been getting worse, and over recent days it has been recorded by weather stations as 'very unhealthy'. The visibility is shocking, the smell is toxic, and the feeling I have in my head, throat, and chest is painful. I think my family have done the the right thing for their health and happiness - I am stuck at work unfortunately. As I drove away from the airport, I started to think about this problem on a wider level. Not only was I upset about not seeing my children, I started getting upset as to why this problem exists in the first place, and also at the thought that the environment may get so bad in the future, that I may not even have the chance to see my own children have kids of their own. A bit dramatic I know, yet I can't help but feel we have been ignoring the environment for too long. 

What is actually going on? School was closed for students on Tuesday, all over Malaysia schools have been closing, and it seems to getting worse. It's been due to haze that comes from illegal agricultural fires due to industrial scale slash and burn practices, mainly in Indonesia, and some other parts of South East Asia - all for the pursuit of profit (burned land can be used for palm oil and pulpwood production) over the environment. Now we all have to suffer indefinitely. 

I used to teach Global Development in my previous schools, and a past question always makes me shudder - "Development needs will always take priority over safeguarding the environment". To what extent do Sociological arguments and evidence support this view?  Well I have seen and felt it first hand now. Environmental problems are largely created in the West (either by direct policy or inadvertently through economic policy) and the effects are largely felt in the developing world. People in the developing world aren't as bothered as the masses in the West because they are too busy worrying about getting out of poverty. We have never been in such a position where have the capital, research, and public will to put the Sustainable Development Goals into practice. Governments take note - the time to act is now. 

There was some other recent events I was going to talk about this time round, yet I felt this story needed priority at this time. I will be back next time to talk about going to watch the football, and some more general observations about life here in Malaysia. Here is a song by a Malaysian punk band about the haze...