The chain may seem long, before a plastic bag in your hands ends up in the belly of a whale off Songkhla coast or somewhere further. But for conservation scientist and environmental campaigner Petch Manopawitr, the link between our daily consumption and the state of the environment is so direct it cannot be overlooked.
"If we allow the temperature to rise 1C or 2C, 80 to 90% of corals around Surin Island would die. It's as simple as that. And it happened before. In 2010, a most extensive coral bleaching occurred. Many fertile reefs became coral cemeteries," Petch said.
An environmental activist since his college years at Kasetsart University, Petch, 44, has covered the "green" ground extensively. He started off as a wildlife research co-ordinator at Seub Nakhasathien, campaigned against Kaeng Sua Ten and Mae Wong dam projects, before moving on to manage marine and wildlife protection projects for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and oversee conservation initiatives for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia.
A keen environmental communicator, Petch also is a columnist for the Green World Foundation, 101.World and Greenpeace, among others. He recently was named a winner of the 2018 Explorer Awards from National Geographic Thailand, together with senior geologist Warawut Sutheethorn, marine scientist Suchana Chavanich and extreme travel show host Wannasingh Prasertkul among others.
But how relevant is an idea of "exploring" to modern living? For many people, the world seems as big as their smartphones as any place can be reached as long as there is a Wi-Fi connection.
Petch, however, believes there is a certain insight and stretch of imagination that can only be gained through first-hand experience.
"Surveying is still necessary," Petch said. "There are things that we can only see, or appreciate, by trekking or diving."
With virtually no new corner on Earth to uncover, exploring does not necessarily connote going where no one has gone before though.
"We may explore an old place with a new set of data or intellectual framework. Who knows what we may find by looking at things from a fresh perspective? Besides, we may also find new species from such a well-trodden place as Rot Fai Park," Petch noted.
When it comes to engaging new generations of people to the "green" cause, Petch admitted that the result has been mixed.
"It is true that young generations who grow up in urban settings have become divorced from nature. They may value an idea of environmental conservation but have never become seriously involved," Petch said.
But that does not mean there is no momentum, he said. Concerns for the planet, especially wildlife, are still capable of grasping public attention, even generating a social pressure and movement that finally makes a difference.
He cited as an example the outrage against the alleged poaching of a black leopard inside a wildlife sanctuary by a construction company executive and the enthusiastic responses from people to reduce plastic waste after a pilot whale was found dead off Songkhla with 8kg of plastic in its stomach.
Petch credited the renewed care for the Earth to campaigns that raise awareness on the issue led by older generation activists.
He said some people may argue that awareness campaigns are feel-good activities whose merits are difficult to appraise. After more than 20 years in the field, however, he said these attempts have become the society's capital enabling it to catch up with new sustainable agenda whenever ones come up.
Petch also realises that the latent care for the Earth when met with effective conservation communication has the power to make meaningful changes without having to wait for government policies. And it's the parrotfish that crystallised his idea, he said.
He said he saw parrotfish on sale at a supermarket in Phuket four years ago.
"For a marine conservationist, it was a sight of failure," Petch recalled. A reef grazer, parrotfish play a key role to the health and recovery of corals. To see them on a supermarket's ice bed not only means people are catching fish in the no-take coral areas but also a possibility that coral reefs are being left in an unhealthy state.
Petch said he went home that day and wrote a half-page essay on Facebook, urging people not to eat parrotfish. To his surprise, the post was shared thousands of times, reaching more than a million people. Before long, a campaign against the sale and consumption of parrotfish was launched on change.org, which attracted more than 23,000 supporters in less than two weeks. Mainstream media picked up the issue and eventually five major food suppliers publicly vowed to stop buying and selling parrotfish.
"This case was very encouraging to me personally," Petch noted. "It showed that the public can push for changes for the cause of conservation without having to wait for laws or policies. It's not illegal to sell or eat parrotfish after all but a striking campaign can capture people's hearts and stir up a public sanctions that compels people and the private sector to make the desired change," he said.
After a four-year stint with the IUCN as deputy of its Southeast Asian Group, Petch recently began a start-up called ReReef, providing practical solutions for ecologically friendly living such as reef-safe sunscreen, reusable straws and bamboo toothbrushes.
He considers the initiative a step up in terms of conservation work. Campaigning can raise people's awareness up to a point -- it is near saturation now in Petch's opinion.
"Instead of signing up for a campaign for change, I want to show that we can make a change starting with our own behaviour. We can contribute to environmental conservation every day, with our daily activities. It's us, who can make an impact," Petch said.
With ReReef, the award-winning activist keeps his focus on sustainable consumption and production, reducing plastic waste and care for the ocean.
While he continues to push for the government to come up with laws to curb single-use plastic and for the private sector to reduce it, he is banking his hope on members of the public to change their behaviour.
"I am not saying we should ban single-use plastic but we should have some kind of control to ensure it's used efficiently. In fact, plastic is not the problem. The problem is we have never internalised the environmental cost in our production or consumption.
"If we start doing it and make plastics and other environmentally harmful materials more expensive, we will force a new, circular economy to take place. We will see a burst of nature-based innovations. With a clear goal, Thailand stands to benefit from this as we are rich with natural resources. Our people are creative and good at design," Petch said.
In his opinion, the government can stop raising awareness and start forcing real changes to happen such as levying extra charges for single-use plastic. The public, however, does not need to wait.
"What I am trying to do is to convince people that changes are up to us, not policymakers. It is us who can make a difference. The health of the Earth starts with our daily behaviour," Petch said.
With more news about icebergs melting and extreme climate, can "we" still reverse the course?
"I am cautiously optimistic," Petch said. He added that a critical mass had been forged before that halted the use of ozone-harming CFCs and a similar encouraging trend has been built for single-use plastic.
"What each of us can do now is to hit the brakes on harmful behaviour and try to change course as quickly as we can while hoping that we will not fall off just yet," Petch said.
