Clouds of war at yearend, the hottest year so far - and how going local makes a difference
At an overseas trip in December, “the children, the children who are being killed!” was the almost universal remark by people when our conversation made its way to Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza. Nearly two-thirds of the nearly 21,000 people killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza since the 7 October violent attacks by Hamas have been women and children.
Indeed, dissonance rings loudly in a holiday season marked by yet another war, not least when one hears Christmas carols mention Bethlehem - the birthplace of Jesus Christ where Christmas has basically been cancelled in this town in the occupied West Bank.
Closer to home here in Southeast Asia, Myanmar’s armed conflict continues to spread - now affecting two-thirds of the country - and the civilian toll continues to rise, even if there appears to be much less interest these days compared to the immediate period after the military coup of February 2021. A new offensive in October (Operation 1027) opened another front for Myanmar’s military regime, pushing displacement figures up even more.
Our infographic below looks at displacement figures (2.6 million people), as well as the still-rising number of people leaving the country.
Meantime, the year that is ending - after the COP-28 climate talks - will be (no surprise) the hottest year ever. At present, extreme temperatures are being reported in Central Asia (where winter is warmer than usual), a cold wave in China (the temperature dropped to below-zero degrees on 11 Dec and remained sub-zero for more than 300 hours), heat in Australia and record heat in Chile’s summer (even in high-altitude areas).
At a time when war and the climate crisis dominate the headlines, our two sustainability-related stories from Indonesia and Cambodia carry a different tone. They remind us about some things that may work - a feature story about an alternative school teaching kids to celebrate their own food culture, and how solar power gives women farmers empowerment.
As before, do pass on the word about this newsletter - every share helps!
Peace,
Johanna Son | Reporting Asean editor/founder
1 S is for Sustainability
INDONESIA: Local School Sows the Seeds of Food Wisdom
BY JOAN RUMENGAN
With a cast of 26 students from 8 to 17 years old, the performance by the children's theatre of Sekolah Pagesangan begins with six food fairies who take turns introducing themselves and describing their nutritional benefits.
CAMBODIA: For Women Farmers, Solar Power Brings Much More Than Electricity
BY CHAN MUYHONG
Women farmers are adversely affected by climate change. But that also makes them the leaders in a project that aims to support their businesses, improve climate resilience and use solar power to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
2 Myanmar on Our Minds
Below: Our friends at the Metta Karuna Reflection Centre (Siem Reap) of the Jesuit Refugee Service Cambodia shared how they used an earlier (July) infographic of ours on Myanmar’s displaced people - really nice to see! Thanks.
3 CLICKWORTHY
At least 68 journalists have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports.
‘Many more could die’: Urgent plea for Rohingya refugees trapped at sea
