Much, much worse than terrorism

In the course of 24 hours, a major metropolitan area on the North American continent has, for all practical purposes, been wiped off the face of the Earth.

This is a tragedy of almost Biblical proportions. Hundreds (or perhaps thousands) are dead, hundreds of thousands have lost their ways of life, while millions more — those taking care of friends and relatives or otherwise offering assistance — have now had their lives changed by a tremendous force of nature.

If the full scope of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina has not yet settled in yet, it is because its fury has come from the planet itself, and not from human action. We are quick to judge the motivations of other people. We create entire philosophies and ideologies and call them “moral principles” or “justice” so as to show why certain people act in inferior ways, or why it is ok to harm others.

And when these philosophies and ideologies clash, it is typically a cause of great outrage. We create divisions amongst the species and claim the other side is evil and inhuman. Blood is shed.

But we cannot do this to nature. Nature has no motivation, and thus cannot have a philosophy. It is not possible to give nature a label such as “subhuman,” “counterrevolutionary” or “terrorist,” nor can nature ever be “just” according to any theological or ethical formulation. The destruction it causes — in the form of hurricanes, earthquakes, plagues, or any other natural occurence — kills rich and poor, black and white, male and female, young and old, sinner and saint; all are alike and equal before the Earth.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed more territory with one swift stroke than any terrorist ever could. It is a sample of things to come. The Earth’s oceans are warming (a result of climate change), which makes hurricanes and typhoons more powerful. It will also make summers hotters and winters colder, springs more torrential and autumns non-existent.

Natural disasters such as these will become increasingly more common over the next decade. Hurricanes, droughts, floods, heatwaves and blizzards will cause more destruction, kill more people, and intimately affect the lives of everyone on the planet.

Our way of life as we know it is coming to an end. The human race must accept the reality that change is coming and start to prepare for it. The global problems now affecting the Earth will only be solved with global solutions. War and consumerism must be put aside in favor cooperation, connection, and sustainability. Resources must be pooled and new technologies researched that will stop the emission of carbon dioxide, provide alternative sources of energy, and protect people from harsher weather conditions.

This means that we have to make changes in our own lives, individually. We must stop contributing to a way of life that is now leading to a future filled with tremendous ecological hardships. Even one small change — getting involved with a community group, talking to people, reducing one’s needs and wants — can have profound affects. The illusion that none of us can individually stop these problems keeps us from doing the little things that will actually make a difference.

And the hardships of the future will only be avoided by acting in a spirit of union and community with fellow members of the species. We’re going to have to share if any of us wants to make it. This is a time where it is now possible to think of new ways of living, of local and global democracy acting in tandem, a world without the scourges of racism and exploitation. The greatest trial to ever face the human race offers an amazing opportunity for peace, with other humans and with the planet.

The threat of terrorism pales in comparison to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation. It is no longer possible to continue with our current path, a path characterized by indifference. These are not “other people’s” problems — they are our problems, and we must start to confront them.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 30th, 2005 at 6:26 pm and is filed under A Changing Planet, Climate Change. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.