Haunting images of beached ships reveal the destruction of the Aral Sea by cotton farming and climate change

The loss of the Aral Sea is one of the most haunting and disturbing examples of climate change. Once a mighty body of water, all that remains of this once-great oasis is a handful of rusting ship carcasses

• Trawler ships have been pictured marooned in what remains of the Aral Sea
• Unesco has called the demise of the sea an 'environmental tragedy'
• The Soviet Union drained up to 33 inches of water from the Aral Sea each year 
• Water was channelled away from the vast inland sea for Uzbek cotton farms 

_{Once the fourth-largest inland expanse of water in the world, the sea once covered an area of 26,000 square miles—an area larger than the state of West Virginia. Pictured is a comparison of the Aral Sea in 1989 (left) and 2014 (right)}

•   Haunting images reveal the demise of the Aral Sea by cotton farming and climate change | Daily Mail Online

By JOE PINKSTONE FOR MAILONLINE 

PUBLISHED: 12:32, 8 June 2018

Since these glory days in the 1960s, a vicious circle of over zealous Soviet irrigation and inadequate replenishment programmes has all but expunged the Aral Sea from the face of the Earth. By 1997 it had shrunk to 10 per cent of its original size

Haunting images reveal the demise of the Aral Sea by cotton farming and climate change | Daily Mail Online

Haunting images reveal the demise of the Aral Sea by cotton farming and climate change | Daily Mail Online

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5820825/Haunting-images-reveal-demise-Aral-Sea-cotton-farming-climate-change.html

The loss of the Aral Sea is one of the most haunting examples of climate change and industrialisation on the planet.

Once a mighty body of water covering a landmass half the size of England, all that now remains of the oasis is a handful of rusting ship carcasses on the baking sand.

Shocking new images have captured the moment climate change experts explored the now-landlocked ships.

They were taking part in a nearby international conference which will discuss the remediation of consequences of the Aral Sea catastrophe, being held in Tashkent.

Unesco has branded the demise of the Aral Sea as an example of an 'environmental tragedy'.

The disappearance of this huge body of water was caused by a combination of climate change, and the demands of the Uzbek cotton industry, which continues to thrive today.

Camels pass a ship cemetery next to the town of Muynak.The Soviet Union's desire to develop huge cotton plantations is responsible for the dying sea

All that is left of this once great inland sea is a barren dessert populated by sweltering tourists exploring the physical scars of the environmental catastrophe in the shape of the scarred remains of several marooned trawler ships

The once vast single expanse of water was split into a large southern Uzbek part and a smaller Kazakh portion. In the intervening years, the water continued to disappear and the Eastern region of the Aral Sea is now known as the Aralkum Desert

Apocalyptic images have captured the moment climate change experts explored these ships that serve as a painful reminder of mankind's devastating impact on planet Earth

The shrunken sea has ruined the once-robust fishing economy and left fishing trawlers stranded in sandy wastelands, leaning over as if they dropped from the air

Over 2,000 industrial facilities operate along the river’s basin, of which 447 are from the garment and textile industry [2,3]. The textile industry accounts for US 20 billion in Indonesia’s economy it is one of the top 10 textile and apparel manufacturing countries worldwide

H&M, Zara, M&S and others found buying from highly …

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/h-and-m-zara-marks-spencer-clothes...

06/11/2017 · Global fashion brands including H&M, Zara and Marks & Spencer are buying material produced in factories that devastate peoples’ health in Indonesia, China and India, a new 

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It seems that pressure from the powerful people that own and control Global fashion brands such as  H&M, Zara and Marks & Spencer have been able to have this article removed from the Indepentent.co.uk website 

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• Textile Manufacturies in Indonesia Pollute The Citarum River at the Expense of Fashion

Textile factories in Indonesia pollute water in Cikijing River, tributary of Citarum River, Indonesia | EJAtlas

https://ejatlas.org/conflict/pt-kahatex-pt-insan-sandan-internusa-and-pt-five-star-textile

 

• Citarum River at the Expense of FashionTextile factories in Indonesia pollute water in Cikijing River, tributary of Citarum River, Indonesia
• Rancaekek, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia –  The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia is considered one of the most polluted river in the world [1]. Over 2,000 industrial facilities operate along the river’s basin, of which 447 are from the garment and textile industry [2,3]. The textile industry accounts for US 20 billion in Indonesia’s economy (video);[4] it is one of the top 10 textile and apparel manufacturing countries worldwide [3]. For decades, unregulated wastewater effluent has been released into the river as the government’s lenient laws have permitted them to do so, [3] even after studies have revealed high pollution levels in water and soil which affect land productivity and food security [5]. Elderly citizens explain how the river used to be healthy full of aquatic life before the textile and other manufacturing companies boomed in Indonesia by the late 1970s and started dumping untreated wastewater effluent into the river [3]. Three Textile Factories go to court - The textile factories of PT Kahatex, PT Insan Sandan Internusa and PT Five Star Textile had been releasing such untreated wastewater, into Cikijin River, a tributary to Citarum River degrading the river [4]. Cikijing river is in the district of Sumedang and Bandung. Sumedang district is where the three textiles are located, Kahatex is the biggest one. The main water pollution is affecting the villages of Suka Mulya, Linggar, Jelegong, dan Bojonglo district of Banding Rancaekek [6,7]. High levels of heavy metals have been found in the area such as: Chromium, Copper, Arseninc, lead and Cobalt, far exceeding the safety standards[2-5,8].“It has been going on even tough they have been sanctioned by government authorities and indicted in a criminal court; still they do it.”  Dhanur Santiko – speakperson for Bandung Legal Aid (YLBHI) (VIDEO) [4]. The dyed water is found to have toxic chemicals and persistent environmental contaminants potentially harmful to humans and river life [9]. A local from the area, Rahmat, said, "I'm afraid of what's in the water…but I'm poor. So what can I do?" [9]. Since the 1990s due to increased pollution, irrigation declined in the river. The river was described as dark brown with bad odor. Additionally, it was reported that skin can became itchy, crops that were being planted were dying and biota damaged [8]. In December 2015, local community organizations, Pawapeling and WAHLI (Wahana Environment Indonesia) and with the help of Greenpeace Southeast Indonesia filed a lawsuit to the State Administrative Court Bandung Sumedang Regent's decision on granting discharge of effluent to the three textile mills in the region Rancaekek. Court case: 1. Wahana Environment Indonesia (WALHI), 2. Swadaya Community Institutions Concerned Citizens Circle Environment (Pawapeling) Vs 1.Bupati Sumedang, 2. PT. Kahatex 3. FIVE Star Textile Indonesia, 4. Pt. Insansandang Internusa). They were alleging that an environmental monitoring had not been taking place before issuing the effluent permits. Bandung Court ordered the Sumedang government to “suspend, revoke and cancel” the effluent discharge from the three textile factories [3,10]. The organizations argued that hazardous industrial waste pollution openly continued to occur not only in Rancaekek, but also in various places, especially in the area of ​​Citarum River, because of the absence of strict legal action against the polluters [7]. Dadan Ramdan, Executive Director of WALHI said, "pollution of rivers and rice fields […] is a form of negligence and omission for over 20 years by the Government and the Province of West Java Sumedang. The government should be responsible, in addition to the responsibility that must be implemented by the three companies that pollute rivers and rice fields. Stop pollution in the river Cikijing then cancel and stop the liquid waste disposal (IPLC)" he said [7].  Adi M. Yadi, Chairman of Pawapeling said that the lawsuit was a form of public complain "the lawsuit IPLC is done as a form of public complaint against policies that do not consider the public interest and environmental sustainability of Cikijing river, which led to declining water quality of the river and the river ecosystem. The issuance of the IPLC, is depriving the constitutional rights of citizens and the right to a good environment and health. Therefore, we urge the Government of Sumedang through the court to cancel and revoke the IPLC of these companies" [7]. Kahatex’s lead lawyer, Dwi Widi Nugroho, disputed that the factory and the other two were being unfairly punished for the effects of other upstream industries that also discharge their effluent into the river. He also said that the company spends $451,000 every month to ‘effectively’ clean the wastewater from chemicals; both arguments were overruled [3].  Additionally, Nugrobo expressed his concern if the factory lost his permits, as it would be a death sentence to it, to its 90,000 employees and to smaller companies in West Java as 60 to 70 percent  of its raw materials is obtained from them [3]. Local organizations and environmentalist dismissed the threats as they knew it will be a challenge, but it will be a step to better controlling the discharged effluent.  Toxic campaigner from GreenpeaceAhmad Ashov Birry, alleged that the court ruling could set an example for future cases. “We could ask for the government to repeal all discharge permits,” Birry said. “That’s the idea actually. We start small”[3].  Farmers are vulnerable as their lives continue to change ever since the industry began – “It comes from the textile factories upstream," and "…Our life has changed, our river and air is polluted, our paddy fields have become unproductive"[4].  One of the farmers in Rancaeke, Olih Solihin (53), explains how ever since the factories settled there was no rice crop production in his land because the water that runs through it is not clean anymore [11]. Adi Yadi said "Until now (2016), there's been no effort to fix it. Hundreds of hectares of rice fields are polluted, which affects the quality of the rice" [12].  He furthermore explains that apart from economic losses due to decreased value of commodities as a result of contamination of productive land farming, there is another side that has not been publicized and socialized but should be recognized by the public. Such as: air, water, decreasing quality of soil resources, biodiversity and the health impact on humans which can all reduce the quality and quantity of life of people in the region. Thus, he says, it is important to do a multifunctional quantification of the land [13]. The untreated wastewater is not the only source of pollution in the Citarum; the Asian Development Bank report in 2008 found that water quality from the Citarum’s upper river fecal coliform bacteria from manure fertilizer and sewage, exceeded the acceptable limits. The river’s water is used to irrigate crops and is a source of water for drinking for more than 25 million people, counting the greater Jakarta region [3,14]. Aditionally, a study performed at Padjadjaran University from 2010-2013, which was later used as evidence in court, revealed the levels and effects of Chromium (Cr) due to waste pollution in the village of Linggar at Rancaekek were quite high. The concentrations in the water analysis from the river was in the range of 4,9-5,1 mg/L, concentrations from citizen wells were 4,73-8,03 mg/L; a maximum concentration of Chromium in water is 0,005 mg/L. The higher concentrations were located near the river, this is due to accumulation and continuous deposition of Chromium from the river. The polluted groundwater had a radius of 100 meter and a depth of 60 meters. Chromium is used as a color dye and in combination with Chromium compound it can be also used for processing fiber for perfecting textiles. This analysis compared it with previous studies that had tested for Chromium, and the concentrations had doubled, they had also tested for Copper (Cu) [5,12,15]. In the 2010 analysis, it was concluded that due to the low levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) (2.45 mg/L where the minimum concentration is 4mg/L), the river could not sustain aquatic organisms alive [5]. Furthermore, due to high concentrations of heavy metals, such as Cr and Cu, the 2010 study had called for corrective actions to prevent further pollution [5]. In March 1 2016, Coalition Against Waste (KML) demanded that there be stipulated delays in the disposal of IPLC of all three companies until a decision was made in court; and cancel and revoke all three of the company's IPLC. KML urged the government to enforce environmental laws and make environmental polluters fully responsible. This they argued, served a step to an industrial zero disposal [16]. On April 4, 2016, just before the ruling, the report "Hidden Consequences: Valuation of Economic Loss Due to Industrial Water" (“Konsekuensi Tersembunyi:Valuasi Kerugian Ekonomi Akibat Pencemaran Industri”) was released by Coalition Fighting Against Industrial Waste; this group is made up of Pawapeling, Indonesian Forum for the Environment, Bandung Legal Aid, Greenpeace Indonesia and Padjadjaran University’s Institute of Ecology. It was reported that due to industrial contamination in the region losses were not only environmental but economic as well. Total economic costs reached a whooping USD $866 million in two decades and polluted 2,300 acres of rice fields and productive farm area. [3,4,12,15]. They also reference previous water quality studies done in Cikijing river [15]. THE CASE On 24 may 2016 the judges ruled that the three companies will no longer be able to discharge their untreated effluent into the river. “Evidence revealed that permits were given without consideration of the supporting and carrying capacity of the river and no study was conducted to establish if the discharges would impact aquaculture, animals and plants, quality of soil and groundwater. There was no monitoring and evaluation before issuing permits. To prevent further destruction, and taking into account the precautionary principle, the judge decided to grant the entire lawsuit.” Greenpeace spokesperson Ahmad Ashov Birry 

 

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Textile Manufacturies in Indonesia Pollute The Citarum River at the Expense of Fashion

Citarum River Is Polluted by Factories That Make Your Clothes

Citarum River Is Polluted by Factories That Make Your Clothes  While many know it for its beaches and jungles, Indonesia is also the world’s tenth largest textile producer. 

Citarum River Is Polluted by Factories That Make Your Clothes (fabricoftheworld.com)

https://www.fabricoftheworld.com/post/citarum-river-is-polluted-by-factories-that-make-your-clothes

 

While many know it for its beaches and jungles, Indonesia is also the world’s tenth largest textile producer. According to recent news by the Indonesian Ministry of Industry, the country aims to become one of the top five largest textile producers. To do so, Indonesia will have to increase its current textile export volumes significantly. This move will see the textile industry employing an estimated 600,000 more people yearly. But increasing textile production will come with a new set of environmental challenges. Even at the current rate of production, the textile industry in Indonesia is causing water pollution at an unprecedented rate.

Over 1000 textile factories dump tonnes of toxic waste into the Citarum River in West Java, making it one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

People dwelling along the river confirm that the factories wash out dyes every two hours causing the water to visibly change colour. Employees from the factories also corroborate reports that their employers dump untreated waste into the river.

The Deadly Effects Of Dye Pollution

A documentary aired in 2014 on UK TV placed mercury levels in the Citarum at four times above what is recommended as safe. 

The Blacksmith institute also estimates lead  levels to be 1000 times more than recommended by the US EPA.

Some of the horrific effects of the pollution include: 

• The 15 million people who live along the Citarum and rely on its water for growing food, drinking and bathing have complained about skin ailments such as irritation, itchiness, white patches and impetigo.

• Toxins, such as nonylphenol and tributyl phosphate, poison the body when ingested. There’s also an increased risk of organ damage, cancer and death due to the large traces of heavy metals found in the water.

• Crop yields have reduced causing huge losses for farmers.

• Over 60% of the fish in the Citarum have died denying the inhabitants nutrition and a source of income.

Way forward and clean-up efforts

Textile factories along the Citarum are not keen to shoulder the responsibility for the river’s pollution and blame most of it on the local inhabitants.

But according to Green peace, though other industries are located along the river, the textile industry is to blame for up to 68% of the river’s pollution.

Officials from the environmental bureau in West Java also say that domestic waste does not release heavy metals so the inhabitants are not to blame. They also admit that despite the heavy penalties put in place, compliance levels with anti-pollution rules is low.

On a positive note, a $3.5 million-dollar clean-up initiative is underway, spearheaded by the government of Indonesia in collaboration with stakeholders from the private sector and NGOs. The clean-up, which was launched in 2010, has a 15-year outlook.

Additionally global brands such as GAP, H&M, Adidas, who source their products from factories located along the Citarum can play an important role – and indeed, have a responsibility –  in the river’s rehabilitation.

They can do this by ensuring that their suppliers don’t use harmful dyes and chemicals in fabric production, or even by refusing to buy from factories that don’t treat their chemical waste before dumping it.

Sources

http://www.indonesia-investments.com/news/todays-headlines/textile-industry-indonesia-aims-to-become-global-export-leader/item7140

http://phys.org/news/2012-09-indonesian-world-polluted-river.html#jCp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2601944/Indonesian-river-clogged-toxic-chemicals-dumped-textile-factories.html#ixzz4ODrIUaEJ

http://www.inquisitr.com/625838/gap-others-pollute-indonesian-river-with-unwanted-tie-dye-treatment/#23yB2rYtA1rWjlvl.99

 

 

Farmer's hands holding a small tree on nature backgroundEnvironmental project in Malaysia - (klriver.org)
https://www.klriver.org/

Deadly Waters. Citarum: Indonesian river keeps textile industry’s dirty secrets

Deadly Waters. Citarum: Indonesian river keeps textile industry’s dirty secrets (water-alternatives.org)
https://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/cwd/item/103-citarum2

 

Summary

The Citarum, located in West Java, Indonesia, is, according to the documentary, the world’s most polluted river. The river stretches for 300 kilometres and provides crucial water supply for local livelihoods. Along the riverbed, however, are also located 2000 industrial facilities, mostly from the textile industry. These facilities dump 280 tonnes of toxins in the river daily, while this very same water is used to irrigate 4000 rice fields and supply 25 million people with drinking water. Consequently, rice yields have dropped and people have become sick and got skin problems from the water.

The documentary both shows the current situation and describes what actions have been taken against the problem. In 2000, the government decided to invest in cleaning the river, but without any results. Environmental activists found out that the textile industry uses so called ‘ghost drains’, presumably illegal drains to dump waste water in the river. The river pollution spreads 100 meters wide in-land and 60 meters deep, containing E. coli bacteria, heavy metals and organic waste. Lead concentrations are three times higher than the maximum allowance. The environmental activists have won a lawsuit against the largest textile factory in the river basin, but no changes have been made and there is no further enforcement. In response, environmental activists cement the drains, stopping toxic water getting into the river. Despite their determination, the governmental agencies responsible for the environment have “superior motives”.

Aside from industrial waste, household waste is another major problem that this river faces. Often, residents along the river basins are poor and have no funds to install a proper sewage system or water treatment facility. Besides, the government does not either provide recycling facilities, causing garbage to end up in the river. In the broader picture, Asian rivers account for ⅔ of the plastics in the ocean. The government has now declared its intent to solve the river pollution problem within seven years.

[B]Analysis[/B]

The pollution in the Citarum river basin has two main causes: the conflict in water usage in the basin and the lack of enforcement and regulation.

Farmers rely on the river to irrigate and grow their crops, factories use the river water for production of goods, all the while 25 million people rely on the Citarum for either direct or indirect uses (Kozhakina, 2019; Purwanto, 2016). All these uses deprecate the water quality of the river due to sewage discharge, industrial and solid waste (Fulazzaky, 2010). The documentary starts with the focus on industrial waste and the impact this has on the environment. The main contaminants are, according to the documentary lead, chromium, zinc, and polonium. The health effects of these pollutants are, amongst others, respiratory effects, certain kinds of cancers, ulceration and blistering of the skin and even death (Ab Latif Wani & Usmani, 2015; Costa & Klein, 2006; Nriagu, 2007; Scott, 2007). The documentary shows skin irritation and ulceration, which are a consequence of overexposure to zinc (Nriagu, 2007). According to the literature the health effects of coming in contact with these pollutants could be more extreme, which, if considered, would have made the documentary even more impactful.

In the upper part of the river, households are the main source of pollution instead of the industry (Sunardi & Ohtsuka, 2005). Households dump several types of waste into the Citarum, including sewage waste and plastics, on which the documentary focuses. But the documentary fails to acknowledge the consequences of the plastic waste, which are amongt others, blockages and deaths in the river ecosystem (Suryaningsih & Hidayat, 2019). Furthermore, it emphasizes the impact of plastic waste on human lives by showing that people make a living out of collecting waste.

The documentary only briefly touches upon the environmental impacts. The rice fields can no longer produce sufficient amounts of rice and the river contains so little oxygen that it is essentially a death river (Citarum.org, 2012). At most places the river is completely unsuitable to support a biological function or aquaculture (Fulazzaky, 2010). Despite this, the farmer in the documentary is shown digging a fish pond to replace his rice fields with in order to sustain a livelihood. An issue overlooked by the documentary is that of the hydropower dams, which are also damaged due to pollution (Sunardi & Ohtsuka, 2005).

Since the urbanization of the river basin continues unabated, the problem of pollution in the Citarum will only become worse if nothing is done to prevent it (Fulazzaky, 2010). The government already tried several river clean-up programs (Kozhakina, 2019). The Indonesian Government was even granted a 500-million-dollar loan by the Asian Development Bank in 2007 to implement Integrated Water Resource Management in order to solve the issues concerning the Citarum river, but to no avail (Cavelle, 2013). In 2018 the government initiated a river cleaning project called Citarum Harum that involved many stakeholders (Kurninawan, Rahju, & Ma’ruf, 2018). Two years later this project is showing some effect.

[B]Cinematographic[/B]

The documentary strongly succeeds in bringing across both the sense of despair of the local people and the root causes of the problem. For example, it triggers emotions in a scene where a local river garbage collector admits his hope for finding a pair of shoes sometime in the waste, after which he starts crying. This scene clearly shows the level of poverty at the river basin, but also how the locals have come to deal with the problem: making a living from waste. The essence of the problem is strongly illustrated by a skilful combination of interviews with local people, experts and environmental organisations. The range of conflicting interests come out well in the interviews. For the full picture, it would have been interesting to get some sense of how the government and local industry perceive the problem. As mentioned during the documentary, they were not willing to provide an interview. The integration of hidden camera footage provides an extra and good component to the ‘investigation’ approach of the documentary.

[B]References[/B]

Ab Latif Wani, A. A., & Usmani, J. A. (2015). Lead toxicity: a review. Interdisciplinary toxicology, 8(2), 55.

Cavelle, J. (2013). A Political Ecology of the Citarum River Basin: Exploring" Integrated Water Resources Management" in West Java, Indonesia. Berkeley Undergraduate Journal, 26(1).

Costa, M., & Klein, C. B. (2006). Toxicity and carcinogenicity of chromium compounds in humans. Critical reviews in toxicology, 36(2), 155-163.

Citarum.org (2012). Water quality in Citarum River: Planning interventions to improve water quality in upper Citarum River. \[Report]. Retrieved on 19th of January 2020 [LINK=http://citarum.org/en/citarum-knowledge-2/publication/cita-citarum-photo-report/130-planning-interventions-to-improve-water-quality-in-upper-%20citarum-river-november-2012/file.html][/LINK][LINK=http://citarum.org/en/citarum-knowledge-2/publication/cita-citarum-photo-report/130-planning-interventions-to-improve-water-quality-in-upper-]http://citarum.org/en/citarum-knowledge-2/publication/cita-citarum-photo-report/130-planning-interventions-to-improve-water-quality-in-upper-[/LINK] citarum-river-november-2012/file.html

Fulazzaky, M. A. (2010). Water quality evaluation system to assess the status and the suitability of the Citarum river water to different uses. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 168(1-4), 669-684.

Hermawan, P. & Kijima, K. (2009). Conflict analysis of Citarum river basin pollution in Indonesia: A Drama- Theoretic Model. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering, 18(3), 16-37.

Kozhakina, A. (Director). (2019). Deadly Waters \[Video File]. Retrieved on January 16, 2020 from [LINK=https://rtd.rt.com/films/indonesian-deadly-waters-citarum-worlds-most-polluted-river/]https://rtd.rt.com/films/indonesian-deadly-waters-citarum-worlds-most-polluted-river/[/LINK]

Kurniawan, B., Rahaju, T., & Ma'ruf, M. F. (2018, October). Key Policies: Complete The Promise To Terminate Citarum Crisis. In 1st International Conference on Social Sciences (ICSS 2018). Atlantis Press.

Nriagu, J. (2007). Zinc toxicity in humans. School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1-7.

Purwanto, H. (2016). Twenty five million people depend on Citarum river. Anatara News. Retrieved on January 18, 2020 from [LINK=https://en.antaranews.com/news/105951/twenty-five-million-people-depend-on-citarum-river]https://en.antaranews.com/news/105951/twenty-five-million-people-depend-on-citarum-river[/LINK]

Scott, B. R. (2007). Health risk evaluations for ingestion exposure of humans to polonium-210. Dose-Response, 5(2), dose-response.

Sunardi, O. S., & Ohtsuka, R. (2005). Multi-source water pollution in the Upper Citarum watershed, Indonesia, with special reference to its spatiotemporal variation. Environmental Sciences, 12(3), 121-131.

Suryaningsih, S., & Hidayat, S. (2019, August). Modification of natural waterway shape as a river trash interceptor–an approach model for Citarum River recovery. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 311, No. 1, p. 012013). IOP Publishing.

[B]Contribution by A.W. Molenaar and A.J. Hofman[/B]
[LARGE]Additional Info[/LARGE]
[*] Director: Ekaterina Kozhakina [/*]
[*] Producer: RT [/*]
[*] Language: English [/*]
[*] Year: 2019 [/*]
[*] Duration (min): 25 [/*]
[*] Theme: Environmental degradation, Water quality, pollution, Water governance, Sustainability [/*]
[*] Access: Free [/*]
[*] Country: Indonesia [/*]
[*] URL: [LINK=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZmJeFVaqpM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZmJeFVaqpM[/LINK][/*]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT IN MALAYSIA-

Citarum River Is Polluted by Factories That Make Your Clothes 

What Is A Dry River Bed? (Best solution)

By Paul Gilmore on 05.04.2022

A dry creek bed, also known as a dry stream bed, is a gully or trench that is generally lined with stones and edged with plants to simulate a natural riparian habitat. A dry creek bed is also known as a dry stream bed. Using dry stream beds for drainage can help to reduce erosion by lowering the amount of…

Pollution in the Citarum River

Pollution in the Citarum River | Textiles in Indonesia (ntu.edu.sg)

 

https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/hp3203-2017-10/indonesian-textiles/pollution-in-the-citarum-river/

Pollution in the Citarum River

According to World Integrated Trade Solution, Indonesia is currently ‘among the top 10 textile and clothing producers in the world, garnering over USD$12.7 billion in exports’. As mentioned in Indonesia Investments, the industry has over 3 million workers in the various corporations and is an important sector for the Indonesian economy. It is estimated that an additional 600,000 workers would be needed every year. Bandung Regency is an area in West Java that is highly dedicated to the production of textiles. By August 2013, there has been an estimate of 407 formal and 423 non-formal organizations in the textile sector, recorded by the Bandung Regency government. However, the economic growth from the textile sector brings with it a tremendous environmental expense. One of the major impacts of the textile industry in Bandung, Indonesia is the quality of water of the Citarum river.

 

The Citarum river has been reported as one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Covering an area of approximately 13,000 square kilometers, the river provides as much as 80% of surface water to Jakarta’s water supply, 5% of water needed for irrigation of rice farms, and to over 2000 industrial factories in the area. It supports over 30 million residents for agricultural, domestic and personal use. However, the emergence of over 200 textile factories on the river banks has caused serious effects to the river’s health.

 

With regards to regulation, according to Greenpeace, there have been several issues mainly:

• Dismal regulation by authorities: 264 chemicals being regulated out of 100,000 that are used within the textile industry. This has resulted in many facilities releasing toxic and hazardous industrial chemicals into the river with no consequences whatsoever. Corruption by inspectors has also allowed dumping of regulated chemicals.
• Limited regulation of discharges: Very few efforts have been taken to ensure facilities abide by wastewater release standards. Enforcement has been weak and this has caused only 47.2% of industrial facilities in the Bandung Regency to attempted to treat wastewater. To make things worse, only 40% of that number met the wastewater quality standards.
• Lack of innovation: Little has been done to carve out frameworks and infrastructure that can reduce the release of toxic substances and ultimately phase out the use of such chemicals.
• Issue of transparency: No easy access to the public on the monitoring of discharge. The Public Disclosure of Industrial Pollution (PROPER) approach is currently used to reduce industrial pollution through providing the public with information. However, the program is extremely limited due to its lack of transparency and the scope of regulation, which only covers a very limited number of substances and practices .

 

Some of the negative impacts on the Citarum river include:

 

• A report has stated that industrial waste in the river has affected 2300 acres of rice fields with heavy metal contamination, costing economic losses of over USD$866 million over 2 decades worth of pollution
• Dangerous levels of alkalinity in wastewater, one was even found with pH levels of 14, capable of burning human flesh. Greenpeace described the wastewater as ‘highly caustic, will burn human skin coming into direct contact with the stream and will have a severe impact (most likely fatal) on aquatic life in the immediate vicinity of the discharge area’

“During the tests I got a couple of tiny splashes on my face….. It hurt and then was itchy for about a week.” Ahmad Ashov, Greenpeace campaigner

• The river has been recorded with high levels of nonylphenol, which can be deadly to aquatic life
• Half a million residents have ingested water with lead concentrations tested at 25,000 times higher than recommended level
• Pollution levels are compromising public health, and many families that rely on the river are starving due to steep decreases in the fish population

Besides the Citarum river, most of the major rivers in Indonesia are also badly polluted due to untreated domestic waste and uncontrolled industrial wastewater. Citarum river is not an isolated incident and these toxic waters are extremely detrimental to the Indonesian community.

What does this have to do with me?

Since the Bandung Regency is a major producer of many of our clothes, the fact that so much toxic materials are used will have effects on us as well. Most of these chemicals tend to stay in our clothes even after production and can only be washed off after a few washes.

It is also important to remember that our purchases are affecting communities abroad. It is thus important for us to purchase wisely, as many lives are at risk from our actions.

 

Inner Peace- World Peace - Enjoy Inner Peace - Vision World Peace 

 ERF The Worm

Earth One Vision 

One Earth One Humanity One Vision

Milky Way Galaxy

May the infinite intelligence of the eternal universe, reveal humanity's already existing enlightened nature, so all people can enjoy world peace.

"Hello!!  I'm Mr Wijat.

Anyone Seen my little Greenie Mate ERF The Worm?".. Mr Wijat

"Here I am Wijat! and guess what? Marvelous Marvin has come u with another good idea!! ... ERF The Worm. 

A Message from Mr Wijat

If you want to have the last laugh on the pollies and powerbrokers . See you all soon in the Adventures of Mr Wijat, ERF The Worm,  Mr Wijat's Life Super Hero Saving Son, Al Wijat and Marvelous Marvin ..

Sufficiency Economy: Enough, For Everyone, Forever

Authored by Samuel Alexander

https://permaculturenews.org/permaculture-shop/ebook/sufficiency-economy-enough-everyone-forever/

In this second volume of collected essays, Samuel Alexander develops the provocative ideas contained in “Prosperous Descent: Crisis as Opportunity in an Age of Limits“. Industrial civilisation promotes mistaken ideas of freedom and wellbeing, while placing unsupportable burdens on the biosphere. This being so, Alexander argues that the richest nations need to transcend consumer culture and initiate a ‘degrowth’ process of planned economic contraction. To achieve this, he shows that we need to build a post-capitalist politics and economics from the grassroots up, restructuring our societies to promote far ‘simpler’ conceptions of the good life, based on notions of sufficiency, frugality, appropriate technology, and local economy.

‘With the vision of a prophet, the eloquence of a poet, the forensic detail of the scholar, and the engaged passion of an activist, Samuel Alexander offers critique, analysis and strategy for a post-growth society beyond carbon-fuelled, consumer capitalism. It is a truism that ‘where there is no vision the people perish’. This book in its comprehensive scope presents a challenging, provocative and absolutely necessary vision, synthesising theoretical and practical considerations related to understanding the current crisis of ‘the human condition’, and offering informed suggestions as to what comes after the unsustainable growth economy. They say knowledge is power, if so, arm yourself by reading and (re)acting to and on this book, notes from the ‘front line’ of our crisis-ridden but self-transforming present.’
– John Barry, author of The Politics of Actually Existing Unsustainability

‘Impressively researched, eloquently argued, and deeply engaging, Samuel Alexander’s work sits at the forefront of the degrowth movement. More than just a powerful critique of the capitalist growth economy, this book highlights the promise – and the necessity – of localised, ecological economies as the only means of adequately confronting the crises that are converging upon us. At times his vision of the future may be challenging, but it is never despairing, and ultimately the reader comes away uplifted and inspired. Alexander convinces us that less can indeed be more.’
– Helena Norberg-Hodge, author of Ancient Futures and producer of The Economics of Happiness

Firefighter slams ‘outright lies’ about bushfires, as experts expose bots and bizarre conspiracies

If you’re on social media, no doubt you’ve seen plenty of posts about the bushfires crisis. One firefighter has had a gut full of the “lies”.

Shannon Molloy January 10, 2020 

Drew took to his Facebook yesterday and, in a post that’s since gone viral, busted some widely spread myths about the fires, their causes and apparent barriers to mitigation.

“First of all, does being a firey give me all the insight to this complex issue? Not even close and I need to make that clear,” the decorated firey began.

“However I’ve felt a strong need to say something here because I just can’t stomach some of the false science and outright lies being peddled on social media as news or facts.

“No, the Greens haven’t been stopping hazard reduction burns from taking place. We still do them and yes we should absolutely do more of them.”

That’s a sentiment echoed this morning by New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, who shot down the common misconception that “green tape” is making hazard reduction harder.

“Our biggest challenge with hazard reduction is the weather and the windows available to do it safely and effectively,” Mr Fitzsimmons said in an interview on Sunrise.

“Sure, there’s environmental and other checks to go through but we streamline those. There’s special legislation to give us clearance and to cut through what would otherwise be a very complex environment.”

Drew took to his Facebook yesterday and, in a post that’s since gone viral, busted some widely spread myths about the fires, their causes and apparent barriers to mitigation.

Mr Fitzsimmons said longer and hotter summers — contributed to by climate change — mean the window for hazard reduction burning is shorter each year.

That’s widely accepted among firefighters, including Drew, who said weather extremes and drought made the jobs of fireys hard.

“Yes, conditions have been so bad this season that fires have still burnt through areas where hazard reduction burns were completed earlier in the year,” he said.

But he also said governments needed to invest significantly more in hazard reduction burns.

“NSW for example, as an estimate, would need to increase their budget from $100 million to a half billion, a five fold increase and that money needs to come from somewhere,” he said.

RELATED: Shocking number of arson charges in bushfire-ravaged regions indicate sinister start of blazes

NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the barrier to hazard reductions burns was the narrowing window of time to conduct them – not environmentalists. Picture: AAP

He also rubbished another suggestion spread on social media that environmentalists had ‘locked up’ national parks and nature reserves.

“Yes, (they) need to burn too but are hard to,” Drew said.

“They are the (sanctuaries) for Australian fauna who can no longer survive in the farmlands and housing estates we’ve constructed. Indiscriminate burning of national parks will literally wipe species off the face of the earth as they often have nowhere else to go.”

And he went on to challenge both sides of the political spectrum to look outside their social media and news consumption bubbles.

“No, a video on Facebook of a guy in the bush screaming at the greens is not facts about what caused these fires. No, a video of someone shouting at ScoMo for not funding the NSW Rural Fire Service (state gov funded) is not facts about what caused these fires.”

Decorated firey Drew, pictured here while serving as a firefighter alongside the military in the Middle East, says there's a lot of misinformation swirling online.

Opponents to action on climate change have taken to social media and the comments sections of news websites, including news.com.au, to attack the suggestion that bushfires demonstrate more should be done to reduce emissions.

“No, climate change is not starting fires,” Drew said. “Lightning strikes, people, negligence etc … is starting fires. But yes, climate change is contributing to increasing temperatures and increasing drought severity which is creating worsening fire conditions.

“Yes, climate change is contributing to a longer fire season. Yes, we should have acted on climate change long ago. All of us. The whole world. Everyone.

“No, no one knows exactly how much climate change has contributed to exacerbating the conditions for this year’s catastrophic fire season however the best science available and scientific consensus is that there is an undeniable link.”

Bizarre conspiracy theories about the bushfires are spreading on social media.

Bizarre conspiracy theories about the bushfires are spreading on social media.

The University of Queensland lecturer in critical thinking Peter Ellerton believes the spread is thanks to people looking for information that confirms their existing beliefs.

“This is a wonderful example of ‘motivated reasoning’, where we justify how we hold onto a world view that’s served us in the past but as the evidence mounts against it,” Dr Ellerton told news.com.au.

“The attempts to preserve it are becoming more and more disparate and chaotic. You see this kind of thing happening more intensely.”

There are organised groups of people, institutions and even commercial interests who are “very eager” for people to find reasons to maintain their views, Dr Ellerton said.

Queensland University of Technology researcher Timothy Graham has probed more than 300 Twitter accounts that have been posting about the bushfires using the hashtag #ArsonEmergency.

He found that one-third displayed bot-like behaviour – the automated spread of inauthentic information about how the bushfires started.

The idea that most, if not all of the fires were started by firebugs is false. While police have charged dozens of arsonists, the figure is much lower than the “hundreds” being cited.

Some even shared fake news articles ‘reporting’ that climate change activists had deliberately lit bushfires to prove their point.

“The motivation underlying this often tends to not be changing people’s opinions about the bushfire itself and how it’s happening, but to sow discord and magnify already existing tensions in polarised political issues,” Dr Graham told the ABC.

RELATED: Fake and misleading images of Australia’s bushfire crisis are being circulated

 

Bizarre conspiracy theories about the bushfires are spreading on social media.

Other viral posts on Facebook about the bushfires have spread bizarre conspiracy theories that the government is responsible for the fires, lit to clear land to make way for high-speed rail.

Some posts have even suggested that Muslims have lit them as some kind of jihadist terror attack.

“That stuff is only shocking if you begin with the assumption that people make decisions based on facts,” Dr Ellerton said.

“They don’t. And we seldom have.

“We’re far more persuaded by narratives than we are by facts. Facts are important, there’s no question about it, but they’re not enough.”

He said that sometimes, people don’t care if something isn’t true so long as it perpetuates their ideology or point of view.

“In a world where so much of it is known and so little of it by you, it’s comforting to have your own world views massaged by lots of people,” Dr Ellerton said.

 Enhance Our Attitude Of Giving When Communicating

"In every interaction, we must enhance our attitude of giving as we communicate. When we uplift every person into a greater experience, they are more likely to intuit a message they have for us."

THE CELESTINE PROPHECY: THE NINTH INSIGHT EXPERIENCE STUDY

“We humans have always sought to increase our personal energy in the only manner we have known, by seeking to psychologically steal it from the others–an unconscious competition that underlies all human conflict in the world.”   James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy In The Celestine Prophecy, the Eighth Insight is called, ”The Interpersonal Ethic.” 

Mindful Intuition
We learn to become detached observers of our experience, employing a habit of watchfulness over every experience as we proceed through our daily lives. This Mindfulness involves close observation of what happens in our outer world but also being attuned to the various thoughts and feelings that show up in our minds.

The idea is to stay impartial and patiently monitor everything you feel or think, including ideas, images, emotions, and automatic reactions. Be the objective viewer without getting distracted by memories, worries, regrets, unfinished plans, or any other ego concerns. When distraction does occur, catch yourself and return to the observer position quickly.

Once we learn to identify intuitions, we realize how they bring forth Synchronicity (another elevation of awareness occurring). First, we receive an Intuitive picture (an urge) to end or begin something, to solve a problem, or to pursue some line of interest. Then, if we follow the guidance diligently with MINDFULNESS, an important Synchronistic breakthrough will take place — thus leading our lives forward to our greater calling. In this way, following our Intuitions is the key to increasing our Synchronistic Flow and maintaining our flow of destiny.

The Seventh Insight also deals with how to interpret our night dreams and daydreams. When a night dream occurs, compare the dream story to your life. Bad dreams have the most important messages since they act as warnings of things that are probable but can be avoided by recognizing the message from the dream.

However, when a daydream occurs, we must ask why? How does it relate to you as seen from the position of an observer? The Seventh Insight says that fear images should be stopped as soon as they come. Then another image, one with a good outcome, should be willed through your mind. Your intuitions will be about positive things.

Soon, negative images will almost never happen. When they do occur thereafter, they could have particularly serious meanings, and their message should be dealt with accordingly.

I believe our Intuitive thoughts, night dreams, and daydreams are elemental to the process of downloading our higher, divine intelligence through an increased spiritual connection. Yes, we have free will, and we can exercise our reasons and preferences at every turn. But, recognizing our inner, spiritual intelligence opens us up to a life guidance. One that will address how we can break through old habits and distractions, and then find and evolve to our most exciting and prosperous, life purpose.

AVOIDING CONTROL DRAMAS:

To avoid using a control drama, try to catch yourself as soon as possible.  You may find you are manipulating others to get their attention, energy, or approval.  Work on feeling inwardly secure by Connecting with the Divine Intelligence inside you.  Remember, you must become intuitively giving to STAY connected.  This works because when you ask how you might help others, you will get an intuitive thought of what to say, how to give a Synchronistic experience to them.  When you open up to your intuitive guidance in this way, it will strengthen your Spiritually Connection.

To avoid being the victim of a control drama, stay alert for someone lowering your energy by seeking to control you (though guilt tripping you, being distant, criticizing you, or being intimidating.) Then just name the game by lovingly saying how you feel.  The game can’t be played if it is brought into awareness. You will protect yourself.  If the person argues with you, just say that’s how you feel, don’t argue back. It allows the conversation to become authentic.

Romantic Relationships:

We’ve always wondered what causes the bliss and euphoria of love to end and suddenly turn to conflict.

When love first happens, you give each other energy freely. You both feel buoyant and elated as the energy builds up, and you feel the incredible high of that we all call being “in love.”  This is a real joining of minds.  But soon one or both people wants to dominate the other to control this joint energy for themselves, and thus they stop giving energy, making their partner feel diminished and lowered.  They fight back with their own control dramas, and you have a Power Struggle.  For romantic relationships to work, both partners have to be secure in their own Spiritual Connection, so they are free to give energy all the time.

A Group Setting:

Interaction in a group is also discussed in the Eighth Insight. In such group meetings, some people feel self-conscious or shy and don’t participate as easily as others. As the group members talk, new ideas surface one at a time. This is optimized if all members of the group are giving energy to each other and not trying to dominate individually out of a need for attention. Each person can feel whether they are the one that is supposed to talk next, or the energy of the group should go to someone else.

Then each member can focus their attention on the person speaking as the group’s energy spontaneously flows. This attention energy helps the person to deliver their contribution with the greatest clarity and depth. This technique helps everyone in the group participate completely.

The idea is to add to the energy of each member of the group by projecting your own energy and not to become so addicted to the ‘rush’ of energy as to monopolize and dominate the group interaction.  Each member must share and follow the energy movement of the group.  If you concentrate on what is being said, you can feel when it is your turn.  An idea will come into your mind. The key to this process is to speak up when it is your moment to do so, and to project energy when it is someone else’s time.

Relating with your Children

It is important to apply the Eighth Insight to children. Essentially, when you are dealing with a child, you should adopt the same approach as when you are dealing with adults. When you talk to children honestly and give them energy, it sets the groundwork for how they will eventually relate to others.

General Ideas for relating to children:
– As you discipline, be clear and explain to them why they must learn the intended lesson, and what they did wrong.  Find a way to tell the child the truth in words they can understand.
– Send children your loving energy no matter what their behavior is and be consistent.
– You must be honest with yourself as you correct a child to make sure you are not using a control drama on them.  Sometimes we use our means of gaining energy unconsciously, so it’s important to develop self-awareness. There should never be another agenda on your part when you are disciplining.
– Deepening your spiritual connection will automatically give you inner security, and your children will see and feel this security and copy what you are doing. When you provide this example, they will grow up secure and Connected, reducing many difficulties in their future adult relationships.

“One of the worst thing that can be done to children is to drain their energy while correcting them.”
― James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy

 The Solution Lies With Each Of Us
The betterment of every life on this Earth begins with illuminating each personal conversation and finishes when we create a world that is Spiritually Connected and characterized by honest communication.  As we all discover how to relate authentically, and we teach this to our children, we create a new generation of people who together can quickly and effectively transform the world.
Read my article: How Intuition Gave Me Confidence
See The Insight Experience Study Archives

THE CELESTINE PROPHECY: THE NINTH INSIGHT EXPERIENCE STUDY
In The Celestine Prophecy, the Ninth Insight is called, “The Emerging Culture.” It builds on the previous insight, “The Interpersonal Ethic,” which reveals how, when we communicate with others, we MUST enhance our attitude of giving as we communicate. We must “uplift” others by looking past their ego or defense mechanisms to see their spiritual […]

In The Celestine Prophecy, the Ninth Insight is called, “The Emerging Culture.” It builds on the previous insight, “The Interpersonal Ethic,” which reveals how, when we communicate with others, we MUST enhance our attitude of giving as we communicate. We must “uplift” others by looking past their ego or defense mechanisms to see their spiritual essence.
The Ninth Insight says, as we search for our spiritual truth, we are led into a future where everyone has slowed down and become more alert to each meaningful encounter that comes along. Our lives feel secure as the Divine presence guides us. We trust in a greater plan.
The Ninth Insight is a prediction of how human culture will evolve as a result of mass spiritual awareness. When a large number of people become mindful of the previous insights and work toward fulfilling their Spiritual Destiny, our way of life will change dramatically.
According to the Ninth Insight, the first step is a period of intense self-examination. Our sense of purpose will be satisfied by the thrill of our own development — An excitement transpires deep within as we focus on our behavior, thoughts, and relationships. During this time, we expand our consciousness to a new level with the sensation of receiving an intuition and seeing it confirmed with a synchronistic event. Fireworks go off while we watch our destinies unfold.
With so many of our synchronistic occurrences coming from other people in our lives, think of how we will be able to uplift our connections with others when we begin to transcend our control dramas and form more authentic relationships. Once free from manipulation, we will consciously share our life stories with others until, joyfully, we discover the importance of the relationship to help us on our path of personal discovery.
We will be able to sense the underlying significance of all the people we encounter along the way – whether the relationship evolves to become lifelong or you move forward again on your own individual journey, and the meeting was meant to teach us something in one way or another. Either way, we exist with new awareness and can thereafter touch others in a way not possible beforehand. Can you visualize our personal encounters having this much meaning and significance?
As we learn to develop and pursue our particular path, truth by truth, the Ninth Insight says the overall culture will transform in a very predictable way.
Imagine if you will…
People are guided by their intuitions, and everyone knows precisely what to do and when to do it, and this will fit harmoniously with the actions of others. No one will consume excessively because we will have let go of the need to control for security. Life has become about something else altogether.
We receive clear intuitions of who we really are and what we are supposed to be doing, and very often we may discover we are in the wrong job, and have to jump to another type of work in order to continue to grow.
We grasp how beautiful and spiritual the natural world really is and hold all of nature with respect and awe. We demand an end to any economic activity that threatens this treasure. And those closest to this situation find alternative solutions to the problems because someone intuits these alternatives as they seek their life’s mission.
We realize that the truth we have to tell and the things we have to do are much too unique to fit into the usual job setting. So we find ways to cut our employment hours to pursue our own truths. Two or three people hold what used to be one full-time job.
We continue to discover more about the energy dynamics of the universe, and see what really happens when we give someone something. Giving is really a universal principle of support; not just for churches, but for everyone. When we give, we receive in return. We begin to give constantly, and we always have more coming in than we could possibly give away.
Our gifts will go to the people who have given us spiritual truth. When people come into our lives at just the right time to give us the answers we need, we give them money. This is how we will begin to supplement our incomes and ease out of the occupations which limit us. The work we do (teaching, nursing, accounting, etc.) will feed our soul and lead us further down the path of our Destined mission.
As more people engage in this spiritual economy, we begin a real shift to the culture of the next millennium. We will have moved through the stage of evolving into our right occupation and will be entering the stage of getting paid for growing freely and offering our unique truth to others. Paying others for their insights will begin the transformation, and then as more and more parts of the economy are automated, currency is disappearing altogether. We don’t need it. Since we are all correctly following our intuitive guidance, we only take what we need.
THE BREAKTHROUGH
The more readily we have energy flowing into us, the more mysteriously the universe responds by bringing people into our lives to answer our questions. And every time we follow an intuition and some mysterious encounter leads us forward, our personal vibration increases.
The Celestine Prophecy pg. 243-244
“Onward and upward. Our Destiny is to continue to increase our energy level, and as our energy level increases, the speed of vibration in the atoms of our body increases – meaning we are getting lighter and more purely spiritual.
The Ninth Insight predicts that as humans continue to increase their vibration, an amazing thing will begin to happen. Whole groups of people, once they reach a certain level, will suddenly become invisible to those still vibrating at a lower level. It will appear to the people on this lower level that they just disappeared, but the group themselves will feel as though they are still right here, only they will feel lighter.
When this happens, it will signal that we are crossing the barrier between this life and the other world from which we came, and to which we will go after death. This conscious crossing over is the path shown by the Christ. He opened up to the energy until he was so light he could walk on water. He transcended death right here on Earth – to expand the physical world into the spiritual. His life demonstrated how to do this, and if we connect with the same Source, we can head the same way, step by step.”
The important thing for us right now is to consciously develop our spiritual awareness and self growth so we may understand where we are headed. In the past, we couldn’t save the environment and democratize the planet and feed the poor because we have not been able to release our fear of scarcity and our need to control so that we could give to others. We couldn’t release our fears because we had no view of life that served as an alternative. Now we do!
The important thing is to seek out the truth of this way of life. We’re here on this planet not to build personal empires of control, but to evolve. Furthermore, by getting into alignment with this design, you set the stage for the complete integration of all the insights and sustained higher consciousness as the levels work together automatically.

When this goes viral, then everyone can quickly identify their life missions and

can Synchronistically move to their right place of service.

Over time, such growth will transform the overall culture into the Destined spiritual form.
See The Insight Experience Study Archives

Nine Insights
The 9 Insights from The Celestine Prophecy
Feb 22, 2017
Insights & Musings

Have you read a book that changed how you sense and approach life? My list would definitely include The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. Since I read it, I understood that there are things I knew but didn’t realize that I knew on hunches, coincidental opportunities and spiritual guidance. Shortly after, I was led to get The Tenth Insight and then the companion book, The Celestine Prophecy: An Experiential Guide.
I went through them voraciously until I was stuck with the study guide. The ego took me on a detour again — delaying any deep, soul diving — that made me lazy and disinterested on book hunting the 3 others (i.e. the celestine vision, the 11th and 12th insight) of the adventure series.
This introspection exercise is surely a long overdue shadow work. I feel it’s time look closely into my personal adventure to intensify and expand The Nine Insights. For now, let’s take a look first into the author’s summary of the insights.

(1) A Critical Mass
A new spiritual awakening is occurring in human culture, an awakening brought about by a critical mass of individuals who experience their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious coincidences.

(2) The Longer Now
This awakening represents the creation of a new, more complete worldview, which replaces a five-hundred-year-old preoccupation with secular survival and comfort. While this technological preoccupation was an important step, our awakening to life coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet and the real nature of our universe.

(3) A Matter of Energy
We now experience that we live not in a material universe but in a universe of dynamic energy. Everything extant is a field of sacred energy that we can sense and Intuit. Moreover, we humans can project our energy by focusing our attention in the desired direction (“where attention goes, energy flows”), influencing other energy systems and increasing the pace of coincidences in our lives.

(4) The Struggle for Power
Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure. To gain energy, we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy. When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce human energy is the cause of all conflict between people.

(5) The Message of the Mystics
Insecurity and violence end when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by the mystics of all traditions. A sense of lightness — buoyancy — and the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection. If these measures are present, the connection is real. If not, it is only pretended.
(6) Clearing the Past
The more we stay connected, the more we are acutely aware of those times when we lose connection, usually when we are under stress. In these times, we can see our own particular way of stealing energy from others. Once our manipulations are brought to personal awareness, our connection becomes more constant and then we can discover our own growth path in life, and our spiritual mission, the personal way we can contribute to the world.
(7) Engaging the Flow
Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies. First, we have a question then dreams, daydreams and intuition lead us toward the answers, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being.
(8) The Interpersonal Ethic
We can increase the frequency of guiding coincidences by uplifting every person that comes into our lives. Care must be taken not to lose our inner connection in romantic relationships. Uplifting others is especially effective in groups where each member can feel the energy of all the others. With children, it is extremely important to their early security and growth. By seeing the beauty in every face, we lift others into their wisest self and increase the chances of hearing a synchronistic message.
(9) The Emerging Culture
As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth. Such growth will  move humans into ever higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the afterlife dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death.
Isn’t that a wonderful revelation? Feel free to join in the process because it will certainly help find your mission and your intuitive way of uplifting the world!
“We’re all looking for more fulfillment in our lives, and we won’t put up with anything that seems to bring us down.”
James Redfield