The elements were out of balance, and the effects of this were only just starting to be felt. Metal was coming to the fore, water was flooding earth, and fire was being wielded in service of profit. Most of SinaBai and INWE's voices were oblivious to this, but with increasing public awareness came an outcry to fix the imbalance59. Voices began thinking about how they could do this, and Conglomerates were only too happy to oblige.
SinaBai and the Conglomerates proudly announced their clean energy schemes and products to anxious voices. LABs would replace fossil earth petroleum creating lightning for cars, Androids and solar glass. Fossil earth derived lightning was being replaced by cleaner energy sources such as solar glass, wind turbines and hydropower. Conglomerates promised an idealised lifestyle to voices, where nothing was harmed, and they could still protect ShanShui whilst being their best selves. However this was misleading. Rare earth elements, whilst helpful in creating these products, were toxic to peasant voices working with them or living near them. ShanShui also suffered from the effects of metal extraction, its' lands and rivers being scarred and poisoned. Many other voices depending on the fragile balance of elements in ecosystems, were lost or muted.
SinaBai's great development Plan led to them building the Three Gorges Dam. This monumental project would allow SinaBai to transition from fossil earth energy to clean hydropower lightning, but would harm ShanShui and many quieter peasant voices in its wake. These voices were not interested in the lives Conglomerates were selling them, choosing instead to live in close harmony with ShanShui. This choice deemed them disposable in the minds of Conglomerates seeking ever greater profits. ShanShui and peasant voices were devalued in monetary terms, merely substrates from which capital could materialise.
A struggle was emerging between the haves and the have nots. Central banks in service of Conglomerates were being opposed by voices who responded by creating Bitcoin and the Blockchain. However the huge amounts of energy required to mine Bitcoin produced vast amounts of noxious gases contributing to rises in temperatures and sea levels. Again this harmed ShanShui and its' associated voices more than others. Some Bitcoin miners aware of the elemental imbalances had more sympathy for ShanShui. They began abandoning fossil earth energy sources in favour of hydropower in SinaBai, thinking this might alleviate problems. However, as previously mentioned, hydropower in SinaBai had problems of its own.
Slowly a movement was forming to oppose Conglomerates and profit-producing development initiatives that ignored ShanShui and its' quieter voices. Protesters formed strategies for increasing awareness of the oppression of peasant voices. They disrupted the previously interminable flow of capital-producing Conglomerates, blocking off branches of INWE and SinaBai most associated with these activities. They used the Conglomerates' networks against them to announce further interventions, entangling their elements further within the machine. As more of these actions occurred, more voices joined the fight. Their efforts to balance out the five elements continues in earnest. Their long-term aim is to bring about an Elemental Revolution; ending the overpowered influence of Conglomerates, INWE and SinaBai on those they choose to ignore.