Showing 1 - 10 of 38
If there is no water, let them drink oil!
Oped, Published on 19/10/2023
» As a long-time advocate for human and environmental rights, I am terrified by the unprecedented frequency of extreme weather events. With each passing day, it becomes increasingly evident that we are in the midst of an escalating climate emergency. Disasters that past generations would have viewed as biblical or apocalyptic have become our new normal.
Congrats to the SEC
Oped, Postbag, Published on 16/09/2023
» Re: "SEC files charges versus KTBS executives", (Business, Sept 13).
Chaos, conflict cause displaced people to surge
Oped, Published on 24/06/2023
» As chaos and conflict seem to be the tragic trend in many parts of the world, a sad parallel follows that large numbers of people are fleeing and being displaced by the violence. The numbers are stunningly high and climbing according to the UNHCR: 108 million people were displaced at the end of last year as a result of persecution, conflict, violence and human rights violations.
'Mocha' action shows SAC's ability
Oped, Published on 06/06/2023
» The extremely severe cyclonic storm Mocha was a very powerful and deadly tropical cyclone, but technological advances, an early warning system and the effective action of the State Administrative Council (SAC) of Myanmar and the collective effort of the public saved thousands of lives across the Rakhine coast, and Sittwe, the capital city of Rakhine state, remains resilient.
Good chance of being caught on the hop
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/01/2023
» To mark this weekend's Chinese New Year celebrations for Year of the Rabbit it seems appropriate to dedicate today's column to our cuddly cottontail friends, otherwise known as bunnies. Let's hope not too many of them end up in a pie or stew. As a precaution, just be careful when you order "today's special".
The varieties of climate-driven medical risk
Oped, Published on 04/08/2022
» When natural disasters force people to pack a bag and flee to safety, important items are often forgotten. Following California's 2007 wildfire season, estimates were that for every household at least one person left behind prescription medication during evacuation. Likewise, when Hurricane Harvey threatened to flood my own mother's Texas home in 2017, she forgot to grab her medication in her rush to escape the storm's path -- even though she was normally meticulous when packing for a trip.
Hot and a little bit bothered in the UK
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/07/2022
» It seems a bit of a paradox to be sitting in Bangkok and reading about how hot it is in London. But this was the case last week when for the first time Britain experienced temperatures exceeding 40C. Heathrow Airport was the first to clock that magic number. Last time I was at Heathrow it was more like 4C.
Climate change is a health crisis
Oped, Published on 05/11/2021
» The threat Covid-19 poses to human health is now well understood around the world. In contrast, the enormous health threat of global warming, with its broad array of persistent impacts on our well-being, is under-recognised and poorly understood.
Mass testing best
News, Postbag, Published on 21/03/2020
» The most effective and cheapest way of controlling the Covid-19 pandemic will be to conduct mass testing of the population, as urged by eminent French infectious diseases expert Dr Didier Raoult. He has pointed out that cheaply mass produced testing equipment is already available and is being used effectively in South Korea. Countries, including Thailand, should build up this mass testing capability as fast as it can and test as many people as possible. That way it will be possible to isolate only those who test positive and it also makes it possible to treat those who start showing symptoms early which boosts the chance of a favourable outcome for them. This will be far more effective than locking down entire populations of people who are not infected and causing a massive economic dislocation in the process. In Thailand's case, it may cost US$325 million (10.5 billion baht) to test the entire population, but that would be a drop in the bucket compared to the $8 billion cost of a 5% decline in GDP.