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Tuesday 1st May 2007, « Hotspot » Day - by Aurelie Uricher from SG France
We woke up with a very good news today : members of IPCC won’t back nuclear energy but aim more for renewable and clean energy. We are really happy!
It is raining and today is a very important day for us: we will go to an area which is affected by climate change. When we arrive in the place, we have to take a boat and we go across the former streets. The road is now under the sea and we just see the electrical cables which are just on the sea level. We are really impressed.
Inhabitants of this area had to move from 5 to 10 times on average due to the rising sea level : it’s very sad... Then, we have to leave the boat and wewe go on by foot (bare feet) in a kind of mud, it is quite awful but funny because we are together under the rain and it is sliding. We look like to be in adventure broadcasts such as “fear fight” with mobile and sliding bridges with water running beneath it. It is really exciting but some of us are a bit afraid.
We are relieved when we arrive in the Buddhist Temple: everything is so beautiful and quiet. It is worth walking so much time. But when we go near the sea, we see every former electrical pylon and former houses. That’s breaks my heart. The landscape is really sad and unfair. It is really impressive. We take the pictures and one of the monk (the leader) gives a little interview. It’s a real nice person. Also, some journalists are present.
Then, we’ll go back at home just after lunching there. They are so poor and they give so much! We are very touched. They keep smiling and they do their “duty” with so much optimism, it’s really impressive. They are really strong people and we have to help these kind of people. They won’t be able to face ecological crisis if we don’t help them. It’s enough : stop the flooding coastal areas and stop devastating large tracts of land : act! We have to back these inhabitants, they really deserve it.
When we go back, I can’t help thinking about what we have seen and about inhabitants we have met. I find it hard to find my words...
We don’t have to discourage, quite the contrary.
The evening, we went to the centre to do shopping and visit Bangkok because we had a really hard day. People are so friendly and kind to us. It’s a really good atmosphere. I’m feeling good in this town and nobody wants to leave it. But tonight Cheng, Agnes and Lisa have left for Kyoto and I am going tomorrow. We are happy and sad because people are so nice here. So many gifts, but especially so many smiles, goodness and motivation... I’m very sad to leave Thailand but we have to.