The Remains of a Hurricane

It’s unfortunate to hear about the deaths and destruction left behind by the hurricane Sandy. Indeed, as parts of my family live in parts of the US which were the hardest hit by Sandy, I couldn’t help feeling concerned. Fortunately, everyone appears to be ok. Of course, the aftermath following these natural disasters will involve months of repair and things will regain a semblance of ‘normality’ over a long period.

Ironically, Sandy made its appearance during a heated presidential campaign - as if it was trying to present its political agenda. Perhaps it wanted to have a say in the discussion which often focused exclusively on the economy, employment and foreign policy. However, although it blew strongly and inflicted billions of costs on an already struggling American economy, it didn’t appear to have made such an impact on the current contestants for the US elections. Indeed, apart from welcome messages of solidarity, Sandy appears just to be another chapter for the history books.

However, if nothing, what Sandy should teach us is that we avoid dealing with the ecological crisis at our own peril. A crisis that extends from an ongoing extinction of known and unknown species to climate change. Issues that seem to have become subjects suited for children or for light discussion. Unfortunately, the extent we preserve the ecology and the environment will affect every aspect of human life as we know it.

This is fundamental because the ecology is the basis of all living beings. It’s essential for human survival. If we continue prostituting planet Earth for our own political and economic ends, we must be prepared to face more devastation and hardship. While I cannot claim that Sandy and other recent natural catastrophes were caused by the human impact on the environment, these events should be a wake up call for us to realise that without the sustenance of nature and without the environment, all our human achievements - ranging from the most advanced, such as art, science, religion to the most basic, such as food and water will not exist any longer.

In this sense, politicians around the world should take the ecological crisis more seriously than other crisis. For if left unchecked, an ecological crisis will leave our economies worthless.

That would mean the end of the human world.

Shall we stop it?