NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL ISSUES

The world was angered by the news that a pregnant elephant died after consuming an explosive-laden fruit in India. While investigation is ongoing to ascertain the facts of the matter, the present preliminary consensus is that the explosive-laden fruit was actually aimed at wild boars which have been terrorising farmlands in that locality.

In Malaysia, we have our own share of troubles with wild boars. They roam in estates and often stray away to highways. I know that some licensed hunters are going after them, often for the lure of their delicacy. Years ago, someone in my neighbourhood ended up in coma after consuming a poison-laced durian which was meant as a bait for a wild boar.

My point is this - we talk about the need for a better world, the need to address global problems etc. but we all fail to realise that as we talk, attend conferences in our formal attires and clink our glasses away to champagne, the problems which we are hypothetically solving with our PowerPoint presentation decks are still lurking out there, menacing with the livelihood of poor people. Hunger knows no patience. Desperate people resort to desperate measures.

The problem is that we have not been deploying well-defined and sustainable solutions to these globals issues. Is there anything sustainable which we can do about farmland intrusion by wild animals ? I am not talking about putting electrical fencing or putting poison-laced baits. Is there anything that the technology today cannot address, even on an incremental level ? And if such methods have been developed and already deployed, then why would there still be non-compliances ? In the case of the explosive-laden fruit, the relevant authority must understand what drove the local populace to resort to such tactic.

Awareness must be created and communicated effectively. Before the MCO, I sat down with someone who recounted stories of how some people from the waste management fraternity 'processed' scheduled waste. By the time they realised that their action of burying or dumping scheduled wastes can be detrimental to the environment and consequently to them, the damage is already done.

We have so many start-ups mushrooming all over the world claiming that they are game-changers, disruptive etc. For a change, why not start look at all these global issues and see how we can deploy efficient and sustainable solutions.

Spare some thoughts for rhinos, elephants and other wild animals which are being poached to the verge of extinction. They are no different from the poor elephant.