HOT HOT HOT

No, I'm not referring to bikini clad babes
or Mexican chilies
I'm talking about Celsius and Fahrenheit
About scorching sun and UV attacks
Hey, we are in the middle of a heat wave!!!

Funny how in the early 1990s we were reminded year after year about the huge ozone hole and the reduced ozone layer hanging over our heads, and all those talk about unfiltered harmful uv rays that could lead to genetic mutation and skin cancer…
It is common knowledge that if a similar hole develops over the arctic, millions of people will be affected, hence the rush to cut back on CO2 emissions and CFC use.
Well, I was still back home in the tropics when I read about these issues but having stepped onto this country 7 years ago I’ve not read a single article devoted solely to this topic, only mild references here and there, which is kind of surprising to me.

The general public is aware that governments are taking steps to cut down emissions and conserving energy thanks to the Kyoto agreement, but surely the amount of ozone continues to decrease with all the extra cars on the roads and power plants popping up globally? Yes, the hole has not yet formed over the arctic, but it IS forming, and the radiation we are getting is increasing by the day, so shouldn't residents here be more concerned and cautious?

It’s not like all the extra trees planted are sufficient to absorb the 20-30 years worth of carbon dioxides pumped into the atmosphere right? Even with all our efforts to stem harmful emissions, the hole will take more than half a century to repair itself. Fossil fuel is such a blessing and yet such a curse sometimes… the natural state of things is all about balance, the yin and yang, its like if you are feeling damn lucky right now, someone must be having really bad luck… sorry, really bad analogy... ;P

So, back to the discussion... shouldn’t we be updated on the size of that hole regularly or how thin that layer hanging over our heads is becoming?
Well, I for one do care about how much radiation I’m getting, especially since I believe the layer protecting me from above is depleting by the minute and I will greatly appreciate that information to be offered periodically to the public to remind them of the dangers and keep everyone up to date.

Maybe it is not that people don’t care anymore.
Maybe it’s news fatigue.
People just want to get on with their lives and enjoy their sunbaths at the beach, bbqs on their lawns, without being reminded that they may die of skin cancer doing something they enjoy.
But it’s a choice for us to expose ourselves to danger, those who know. I worry when I see parents let their children run around in singlet and shorts, getting their exposed skin red from sunburn. The children sunblock lotions are so mild that I wonder if it is ever enough.

Anyway, it’s a hot hot hot time now and despite the whole uv issue, I’m going to enjoy it while it last.
It is a time to enjoy chilled lemonade, sit on warm sunbathed grass and have bbqs with friends.
Best of all, it reminds me of home, the not so pleasant but nostalgic sticky humid weather that I grew up with and will be reacquainted with in a couple of years time.