Today I am going to talk about a part of reality that hurts to write about…a part of reality that is difficult for me to accept.
Not only does it hurt to write about, but it is also physically and energetically damaging. I have experienced it first hand recently, and some of my closest friends on the planet have been experiencing it even worse than I have.
So what on earth am I talking about here?
I am talking about pollution.
And I mean serious pollution. The kind of pollution that is extremely damaging to the health of the humans, animals, and the planet. The kind of pollution that restricts your vision, hurts your eyes and throat, and that has an unavoidable smell no matter where you go…
Pollution that hangs thick in the air, changes the color of the sun, and forces people to wear masks when they are outside.
It’s extremely sad to see (some) humans take so much from the earth without giving back, and even worse, to see them knowingly harm the planet and put all of its inhabitants at serious risk in terms of health and longevity.
To me, this planet is infinitely beautiful and inspiring. So it’s extremely difficult for me to comprehend how this is part of reality.
However, it indeed is part of reality in more places than most of you probably realize.
So where are all of these thoughts coming from Patrice?
My Recent Trip To Ethiopia
I traveled from Kenya to Ethiopia recently, and one of my experiences there motivated me to write this article. I was absolutely shocked by the polluted capital, Addis Abeba…
It was quite unreal. And I had no idea, so I wasn’t prepared for such horrible air quality.
In fact, this article reports that the air pollution sickened more than 800,000 people last year in Addis Abeba, according to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health.
I’m quite sure that this was the worst pollution I have ever seen first hand. And the sad part is that there are places with even worse air quality on the planet!
How is this happening?!
What kind of humans think this is a good idea or even remotely okay?
The entire city was one massive construction site scattered with wooden scaffolds everywhere I looked. I could not believe my eyes. I had to rub them in disbelief AND in discomfort…
To think that most people are unable to escape the pollution too…that is the most depressing part to me. How many people are stuck out of luck and powerless in the face of such harmful pollution?
It’s really just hard to fathom or come to terms with.
Visiting the capital city of Addis Abeba was such an astounding contrast to visiting the Ethiopian city of Gonder. In Gonder I tasted the best honey I have ever tasted in my life!
It was a truly special experience. The honey was so pure and was harvested with passion. I couldn’t believe my taste buds. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.
Not only that, but the region of Gonder had castles that we were able to visit. So as you can imagine, the contrast between the two experiences was quite intense.
But it’s not just my own experience with pollution that motivated this article.
The Health Crisis In Northern Thailand
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, some of my closest friends on the planet have been experiencing even worse pollution than I experienced in Addis Abeba.
Actually, it’s been the worst pollution on the planet!
They live in Northern Thailand, and this region of the world topped the list for the most polluted place many times recently…
I’m not sure how this is not being labeled as a national health crisis. This should have international news coverage all over.
It’s truly insane. And it is completely unacceptable.
To measure pollution levels, there is a number called the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Good quality air is represented in the range from 0-50.
Unhealthy levels of pollution begin when the number reaches100 or more.
When the number is over 200, the air is very unhealthy.
And when the number gets over 300, it is labeled as hazardous levels of pollution.
Guess where Northern Thailand has been on this spectrum for the past week?
It has been consistently over 400 every day, even reaching 500 multiple times!
This is literally death in the air. It is an apocalyptic type reality to be living in.
People exposed to this kind of pollution are almost guaranteed to live shorter lives and will most likely die from not so pleasant causes…
So like I said, how is this not being covered by international news outlets??
This is a blatant violation of human rights!
Not only that, but it is a violation of the planet and all of the other beings living here. Think about the poor animals suffering and all of the plants drenched in soot. My friends can literally take their finger, run it across one of their plants, and lift it up to reveal a black layer of soot.
Need I say more?
And even worse, it’s not just Northern Thailand where the pollution is horrible…Most of mainland Southeast Asia is blanketed by toxic pollution.
Every year for about 3 months (mid February to mid May) there is a burning season in this area of the world. A combination of factors cause the horrific smog.
But the main contributor is burning – Large corporations burn massive fields of corn, the government cuts vegetation along the sides of highways and burns it, and small farmers also burn their fields. All at the same time.
And as you can see, the results are devastating.
It is so depressing to think of all the people, especially children, unable to escape this pollution because they don’t have the means to do so.
This cannot continue. It has to be stopped somehow.
I’m not sure exactly how, but spreading the word is certainly a start. Share this article, talk to your friends, let’s contribute in raising the level of awareness on this topic.
After all, we all share the fundamental right “to life” and worldwide pollution is hindering that right… the most basic and most important of all.
