Many have been trying to make sense of the #COVID19 pandemic & its implications. Since I'm not an epidemiologist I can only quote experts. I've put this provisional summary of research findings together in the hope of dispelling conspiracy theories & inspiring others to contribute. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by … Continue reading Coronavirus disease 2019 #COVID-19
Category: Health
The #Covid19 pandemic does not mean distance from nature
Singapore's Sentosa Island, without foreign tourists, was an excellent place to visit and still conform with the social distancing requirements during the COVID19 pandemic. I offer this work as a glimpse of beauty in the hope that viewers might find the images and the music relaxing
Treating COVID-19 Patients in China – Inside an ICU
Here in Singapore we have excellent digital connections. At my place the internet speeds on the optical fibre connection approach 1Gb/second. There seems little digital divide in the sense that from the young through to the elderly, connectivity is common and expected. A few weeks months back I met a neighbour by the swimming pool … Continue reading Treating COVID-19 Patients in China – Inside an ICU
Jambi Province Sumatra where 90% of fires are deliberately lite
Yesterday, I woke up and stepped out of my 19th-floor apartment, on the way to church. Passing the light well, its orientation one that scoops in sea breezes, the first thing I smelled was that familiar odour of distant fires. I realise now that it was probably blowing in from Sumatra's Jambi Province, Desa Rimau … Continue reading Jambi Province Sumatra where 90% of fires are deliberately lite
Peoples’ Movement to Stop the Haze #GoHazeFree
As I approach my 70th birthday I find a need to consolidate my energy and spend time on those matters that present as the more serious and immediate. One of these matters is the health of our atmosphere and the allied issues of climate change and global warming caused by humanity's over dependence on fossil … Continue reading Peoples’ Movement to Stop the Haze #GoHazeFree
Tackling the smoke #haze problem with alternative sustainable #peatland production
In 2015 I was forced to leave Singapore when the smoke haze, mainly from fires burning on Sumatran peatlands, became so heavy it was unhealthy for me to remain. My exit was easy but the people in Sumatra and Kalimantan, particularly Central Kalimantan, were not so fortunate. All of those in affected areas were living in far … Continue reading Tackling the smoke #haze problem with alternative sustainable #peatland production
#Peatland and forest burning for palm oil production continues, but at what cost?
Harvard and Columbia University researchers have used air pollution readings to calculate exposure to the toxic smoke haze that drifted across Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, last year. Their research suggests 100,000 premature deaths in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, arising from this event.
#Indonesian #peatlands are torched again as the #burning season gets underway
I wasn't expecting things to deteriorate quite as quickly as they have today. Just in case readers aren't familiar with this Air Quality Index scale, readings are based on several factors but the figure 248 refers to parts per million of particles 2.5 microns in size. These have a capacity to enter the lungs … Continue reading #Indonesian #peatlands are torched again as the #burning season gets underway
Indonesian Foreign Ministry on Smoke Haze
This story is from the Jakarta Post. I reproduce it with this brief comment. I find the reluctance of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry to make meaningful comment about the problem of transboundary haze very puzzling indeed. It leads me to wonder whether there is the will and capacity, at a national level, to tackle this … Continue reading Indonesian Foreign Ministry on Smoke Haze
#ElNino’s impact in #Asia looms as one of the most serious and is exacerbated by dams
In China the Mekong River is called the Lancang River. For some years I've been concerned about dam construction on the upper part of the Mekong that flows through China. International Rivers advises that Seven megadams have already been built, and over 20 more are under construction or being planned in Yunnan, Tibet and Qinghai. … Continue reading #ElNino’s impact in #Asia looms as one of the most serious and is exacerbated by dams
Russell Darnley Blog 