A lady and her love for the planet

This is a column wrought with grief. My colleague, Li Xing, who had been pouring her heart out in her contributions on Fridays, was snatched from us by death, suddenly and prematurely. Hers was a life and journalism of conviction and integrity not many in today's world of self-centeredness can claim.

Li Xing was an optimist, her faith in humanity was immense and her belief in the goodness of human beings exemplary. Our friendship, despite the arguments we had, was based among other things on our love for the environment. It is because of her passion for the environment that she lamented the sorry state we humans have pushed the planet into.

The day we received the heartbreaking news of Li Xing's death from across the Atlantic in Washington DC, came the news the polar ice cap in the Russian sector of the Arctic has shrunk to a historical low. The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute said the current ice cover in the Arctic Ocean is 6,850 million square km, which is way below normal. The melting of Arctic ice will make navigation without ice-breakers possible at least until September. This could be a boon for the navigation industry and oil-hungry companies, but it will also push us further toward the abyss of doom caused by climate change.