This is Dili, Timor Leste. This was a photo that we took from the top of Cristo Rei. It was a lot of stairs.
That smoke that you see is not the pollution from cars. There wasn't enough cars to produce that amount of pollution. And I will never forget the smell. It was the pollution from burning plastic.
In Timor in 2012, they didn't have a landfill system. They just had rubbish everywhere. They imported plastic bottles of water, Milo, smiths chips and many of our home comforts. When the plastic was done, it would either be dumped in a ditch or burned.
Sometimes, in other countries as well, the burning of plastic is used instead of kerosene to cook foods. As we know when plastic burns, it is incredibly toxic.
These toxins can impact on hormones, especially estrogen. To the point where in some countries, women struggle to have kids. This is explored in the Netflix Documentary 'a plastic ocean.'
Not to mention that these chemicals will remain in the atmosphere for quite a long time too.
There is no one, real solution to these issues, but, as it is Lent, I am reflecting, lamenting, worrying about people that have to make a choice about burning free toxic plastic to cook food, or to buy kerosene.... I am praying for them.