Quick Take | Dress for the climate
Some changes brought about by exigent circumstances should be allowed to stay. Asian countries are trying hard to lower energy demand in times of choked supplies. Sri Lanka is rationing fuel and keeping public institutions shut on Wednesdays, Myanmar is implementing a Delhi-like odd-even scheme for private cars, and the Philippines and Vietnam are advising some citizens to work from home. All these measures will be reversed when the supplies normalise again. But there’s tropical wisdom in perpetuating what the Thai government is suggesting. To lower airconditioning demand, several Thai TV presenters recently took off their formal jackets during live broadcasts. Like the feminist KuToo movement in Japan, in which women are swapping high heels for comfortable footwear, there’s reason enough to avoid stuffy Western wear rather than clinging on to tradition.