Saturday 26 October 2013

Crisis, what crisis?

The BBC news website is a constant reminder of the high profile that environmental matters have back home. Whether it's British Gas putting their prices up again, the cost of petrol, or alternative sources of energy, there is no doubt that one way or another everyone is being effected on a daily basis by actual or perceived actions based around guarding natural resources.  So how does the UAE see these issues?

We don't watch the national news over here and the content of bulletins on the radio are very different to what we're used to in Europe ('man drowns in sea while washing camel', tragic but true).  Stories tend to be UAE centered and if the wider world is mentioned it's only in the sense of whatever impact the situation could have on the GCC nations.  So I can only base my impression on what I experience.  From that angle, re-cycling is virtually non-existent. Most public spaces have three coloured wheely bins so people can separate their plastic from paper etc.  But in our block of flats there is no re-cycling possible at all, everything goes in to one bag then in to the rubbish chute, which I can't use as I have developed an aural vertigo from hearing the bag crash to it's final resting place!

In England, every other dwelling in our village had photo-electric panels to generate electricity, here in the land of 365 day sunshine, I've yet to see one.  I was reading an English language newspaper yesterday and saw the Dubai is aiming at becoming the conference centre for the Emirates.  To that end it is planning a sustainable transport system including an extension to its light railway and a new tram system.  I applaud that foresight and hope that RAK tries to emulate the lead that Dubai is taking. Here there is a large workforce of foreign labour but no public transport at all.  As a developing Emirate it can only be a matter of time before someone realises the benefit of a integrated bus system that can only help with the country's development.

Casual littering here is as bad as anywhere, with people happy to throw rubbish from cars safe in the knowledge that the cleaning gnomes will come along and pick it up.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what happens.  There is a band of guys in hi-visibility clothing who patrol the roads in all weather picking up the litter.  I don't know what they get paid but I'd guess at not very much and they do an outstanding job.  You could argue that if they stopped picking it up, people would see the results of their selfish littering and stop doing it, but I doubt that.  No different here to anywhere else then I guess?

Enough of the serious stuff, let's talk about driving again!  Friends and family will know of my 'cruise control' game that I used to play on motorways.  Set your cruise control then see how many times you overtake certain cars that firstly overtake you then slow down so you have to overtake them.  How the nine hours driving down to St. Germain-Laparade used to fly by..  Here, there are other games.  The 'I may be in the left hand lane but actually want to turn right' game, or the fun we have with the 'it may look like I have indicators but they're only for decoration, let's see how long I can go before I use them' contest.  It wouldn't surprise me if I looked at a second hand car one day and found the indicator stalk had seized up due to lack of use.

It appears that I may have some full time work coming up and lasting the next month or so.  I will endeavor to keep the blog rolling along if my timetable allows it.


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