Tuesday, November 16, 2021

When Mountainsides Fall Down

 


Ministry of Transportation photo



Merritt, B.C.
CBC News photo

 

On the ocean floor, tiny plankton and krill
are such small creatures,
to have such impact
on whale and ocean health.

We humans,
self-important and entitled,
at the top of the food chain,
have a devastating
and destructive reach,
forgetting that we are only one
among many other beings.

Yet, when Mother Earth rages,
rivers run their banks
and mountainsides tumble down,
we get swept away
as easily as tiny krill
are scooped and sifted
through the grey whale's baleen.


for earthweal where we contemplate Extinction - quite possibly our own.

B.C. got a taste of nature's fury the past two days when ten inches of rain fell over huge areas of the province, causing major flooding, highway destruction, landslides, and evacuation of three towns. Major highways were closed, and we now have a huge mess to clean up, so soon after wildfires affected the same areas now hit hard by flooding. 275 people had to be rescued by helicopter, trapped in their vehicles overnight between two landslides. We dont know how many cars got swept away. One major highway will be closed for months. 

An unthinkable number of livestock, wild and domestic animals will have died in the floods.

Governments thought the price of addressing climate change would be too high.  The cost of not addressing it will be much higher. And on-going. We are watching climate breakdown in real time now. And it is accelerating faster than expected. Target dates of 2050 for lowerting emissions are just ludicrous. The science was clear 40 years ago and we havent yet begun.



6 comments:

  1. An eye opening piece.

    "forgetting that we are only one
    among many other beings"

    I wonder when will humans remember they are only human. They too shall perish and what will be left for generations to come?

    sigh

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  2. We haven't yet begun- that is so true. Not with any actual action, not with any intention to treat it as a crisis. Wonder what it will take for those who can to start turning off the fossil fuel tap?

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  3. You're so right Sherry: it's happening in real time, and it's happening right now. And politicians talk as if we still had time to play with. Suicidal!

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  4. It's so ironic (or just?) that right after COP26 such rain falls. Horrendous that the extremes -- hottest weather then heaviest rains -- befalls BC. Stay safe.

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  5. Real time action for a too late to wake up culture. Sad times and you capture the mood here Sherry.

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  6. Goodness, that sounds pretty rough - glad to hear you are okay in the midst of it all. Love the krill metaphor.

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