LAVOISIER UNIVERSE: SKY IS BLUE AND GRASS IS GREEN!
Once upon a time, I crossed the pathway of an environmentalist. He portrays a mature man who fights for environmental causes. He has travelled extensively throughout his life and is knowledgeable in multiculturalism. He started his career long before the era of renewable energy and widespread scare of climate change. I needed more insight on how to define a "green" planet.
I asked: «Why choose a bachelor in environmental sciences as an academic vocation?»
He responded: «I grew up in a village surrounded by green scenery. The best schools were in the city. I had noticed that city people did not pay so much attention to the well-being of the planet. I had noticed a difference between city vs village in terms of air quality, water taste, color of grass, age of trees and soil strength. I enjoyed nature and felt replenished in my solitude as a child. Studying in environmental sciences came naturally. Looking back, I had fun at work and could make a living out of it.»
I asked: «Can you name misconceptions about your career?»
He responded: «There are many misconceptions about my job. It is rather a new field in the workforce compared to conventional jobs. People think we are hippies, society rebels, flower or forest kids who refuse to grow up. Environmentalists know how to count and read scientific articles. We also deserve respect.»
I asked: «Who is Lavoisier?»
He responded: «Antoine Lavoisier was a chemist and philosopher known for the famous adage "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed". It applies in environmental studies which aim to find new ways to reuse current waste material and convert it to new material. He remains the godfather of modern chemistry with his discovery of the combustion phenomenon.»
I asked: «What are the indicators of being "green"?»
He responded: «There are 4 main axes examined in environmental sustainability: air quality, biodiversity, climate change, and water quality. There are approximately 30 environmental performance indicators linked to these 4 axes that are used as benchmarks for environmental policies and regulations. Green policies are highly positively correlated with national wealth.»
I asked: «Does it cost a country to be "green"?»
He responded: «The cost of green policies is mostly linked to investments in green infrastructure and the implementation of green policies.»
I asked: «What happens when people flush the toilet in industrialized countries?»
He responded: «The wastewater that gets flushed passes through the sanitary sewer system in a confined area until it arrives to wastewater treatment facilities.»
I asked: «What do "green" countries do with organic material?»
He responded: «Organic material represents a substance that decomposes such as food residuals, cartons, and green constituents. Cities are involved in the recycling process and provide instructions to residents on how to recycle organic material. Green cities then transport organic material to biomethanization facilities that breakdown these substances to produce biogas.»
I asked: «What happens to the environment in a war zone?»
He responded: «The 4 main axes linked to environmental sustainability are damaged. Precisely, these war zones are more exposed to hazardous climate change consequences such as an increase in CO2 and contamination in land, soil as well as water facilities. It injures wildlife and its ability to survive, and also decreases the ability of the targeted population to adapt to climate change. Moreover, the environment and people located in war zones degrade. It's a running gag for the fool to believe that eliminating a population or displacing it will increase the well-being of a planet by reducing its headcount.»
I asked: «What is your input regarding the current turmoil in the Arabian Peninsula?»
He responded: «We are witnessing a new country wanting to prove itself to be the best in the world. It is understandable that they want to prove to the world that humankind has missed out on a special breed for centuries. This modus operandi is highly previsible but it can never be justified by the exploitation and demolishment of others. A siege that controls water, electricity, food and freedom is a society looking for trouble by slaving a group of people to submit or die. The new country is majorly composed of a clan of people who have been secluded for centuries from the rest of the world. It feels like they have not outgrown systemic inequality as many other ethnic minorities from various religious beliefs embedded in various societies for centuries. It looks like a society oblivious of reality. One needs to take a step back to see the whole picture of things.»
He added: «I think it is more than time that someone says it out loud: Whether they succeed or not in forcing the exile of their neighbors, they will always be perceived as takers who stink like the rest of the world. Even when neighbors have done wrong, collective punishment also does wrong. I think down the road, most countries will come to the conclusion that all human excrements stink and so it is for the new country as well. There are many retarded and brainwashed people around the globe. It mirrors the adage: 1 step forward, 2 steps back!»
I asked: «Are you concerned about the North-American liaison?»
He responded: «I sometimes wonder if people forget that we are all mortal humans. The world turns and leaves room to a new sequence of numbered humans!»
I responded: «Thanks for a wonderful lesson in Lavoisier Universe: Sky is blue and grass is green!»