Meeting with Dr. David E. Parry, the soil scientist, development environment consultant and curator who has been a resident of Jakarta since 1980.
I am a soil scientist and expert detection distance training which means I map and analyze soil types to determine the most appropriate crops to grow. I lived and worked in Indonesia for 34 years and mapped the land for agricultural development projects in 28 provinces, including five years of work in the forests of Irian Jaya.
What are your thoughts on global warming as a direct result of human activity?
The world is almost certainly heated by natural causes since we are in the midst of an interglacial warm period and human activities are likely to have an impact on global warming by the "effect Greenhouse". Where I differ from the prevailing opinion is questioning the degree of warming caused by CO2 gas emissions from human (anthropogenic) activities such as burning fossil fuels, and the ability to "engineer" the climate of man. After forty years as a scientist in the field and with considerable knowledge of meteorology and climatology - unlike, I hasten to add, the majority of commentators on climate change, including the majority of the mass media - I have enormous respect for excessiveness, size and raw power of our atmosphere and oceans and find the idea that man can somehow tinker with them as you would a thermostat your air conditioner completely ridiculous.
Is this a valid argument or pure sensationalism?
Of course, it is a valid scientific argument to back up the theory of the "greenhouse effect", but unfortunately, the scientific debate about the role human activities play in changing regional climates of the world through trapping quantities of CO2 and other greenhouse gases has increasingly been taken hostage by politics, the media and the powerful "green movement" in all its forms. I am an environmental scientist with a passionate desire to preserve the resources of the planet and reduce our dependence on finite fossil fuels by developing renewable sources of alternative energy, but the cause is not helped by the alarmist scenarios catastrophic climate that are fed daily by the media.
So how can we, as individuals, do our part to help the environment - in particular, here in Indonesia
practice the three R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reduce the amount of plastic and packaging that you use when you shop - make your own eco-friendly bags. Conserve water by recycling rainwater to help with the washing; irrigate your garden and pot plants with gray wastewater that contains nutrients such as phosphate and nitrogen; dig a few meters of bio-pore depth in your garden to help rainfall soak into the ground and recharge the aquifers overloaded; saving electricity; turn off electrical appliances; spend only on the water heater (energy intensive) one hour before you want to have hot water; stop throwing garbage, especially plastic bottles 'Aqua' and bags on the windows of your air conditioning in road vehicles - keep the garbage in the car and dispose of it properly at home. Not much, but collectively they make a difference.
You have been involved in the MRT project here in Jakarta. Could you tell us a bit more about this project and what it would mean for the city?
ME was involved in the original feasibility study for the Jakarta monorail which was carried out by Mott MacDonald Ltd., One of the largest firms of civil engineering consultancy the world and with a record of design and construction supervision of some of the major rail systems in the world, including the Channel tunnel, several lines on the underground systems in London and Singapore and long Taipei- Kaoshung High Speed rail Link track. Jakarta needs a complete MRT heavy rail system such as that proposed for the Lebak Bulus - Kota route, and a network of cheaper, easier to build monorail lines bringing commuters from Tangerang in the west and Bekasi to the east using the existing roads and toll roads to minimize land acquisition.
The original concept for the monorail was to connect Bekasi and Tangerang to Jakarta via running lines in each city to Jakarta, plus a circle line (the Green Line) acting as a distributary online at Semanggi CBD, Jalan Sudirman / Jalan Asia-Afrika offices and shopping centers Jalan Rasuna Said and offices. To complete such a project in a phase would have meant working with and obtaining permits for new local governments! It was therefore decided to start the project in the DKI to minimize bureaucracy and to develop links Bekasi and Tangerang as subsequent phases. The new governor, Pak Jokowi, is trying very hard to revive the monorail project and recently a new local business consortium proposed a second monorail system providing three new routes: one East Bekasi to Cawang, a Cibubur in Cawang Cawang and the third in Kuningan, connection, hopefully with the monorail blue circle and original lines. This is good news, but I have a major concern, namely the consortium's plan to build the monorail cars themselves and do not buy from a proven provider. The Mott MacDonald study team recommended the purchase of monorail cars from an established vendor such as Hitachi as the costs of research and development for railway systems are very high and are more easily supported by major railway companies, such as Alstom, Bombardier and Hitachi.
If you were governor of Jakarta, what immediate steps would you take to improve the quality of life in the city?
I would do exactly what the Governor Jokowi is made, namely to try to fight against the eternal congestion of traffic and floods, as well as trying to improve lives of the poorest of the community through better health and social education programs.
We have five dogs; three Golden retrievers and two dogs kampung, plus about 15 cats. And yes, sometimes found abandoned kittens hanging in plastic bags on our door before we ever save.
You are also curator Bartele Gallery and author of "The Mapping of East Indian islands. How did you become an expert on the card and how long did it take to complete your book?
I started collecting old maps in my late teens and began, as so many collectors are, by purchase cards English County. Once I started working abroad in 1968 I started collecting old maps of the countries that I worked in, which included a large part of Africa, the Middle East and India. My passion for collecting old maps of Indonesia began when I came here in 1980.
I started writing the book in 1992 when I realized that there was no single reference on old maps of Indonesia, a country that included the legendary "spice islands," the Holy Grail of European explorers of the Renaissance. The book was published in 2005 and it took 13 years to complete - a true labor of love
You used to be a player rugby enthusiast and always maintain a regular exercise program. Some tips for those looking for a more active lifestyle?
I was playing regularly for the University of Oxford, UK universities (Uau) and first XV Harlequins in the 1960s I was playing in Jakarta in the 1980s and 90s, but was too old for such a physical game - I now suffer the consequences in the form of arthritic hip, the damaged knees and lower back problems! But I want to work with weights since I did weight training since my school days, do a lot of walking and swimming. A visit to the gym is good for your physical and mental health - I feel guilty if I miss a workout! My advice to middle-aged men and older people is not going jogging and if you go to the gym and are not used to regular exercise, start slowly and use services a qualified coach.
You have achieved a lot in your life, plans to slow down anytime soon?
Not really, I still enjoy the challenges of working on the development projects, although now I'm semi-retired, I have the luxury of choosing projects which really interest me, such as the project on poverty of Bali. I appreciate fully the two days a week I spend in Bartele Gallery to do research on maps and antique prints and when I'm not in the gym or walking dogs, I play bridge with my wife various bridge clubs Jakarta. So I do not really slow me even if I have reduced the amount of kilograms I put on the bars in the gym!
Thank you, David. To contact, send an email to deparry777@gmail.com