In the last eight months, nature struck twice with stronger force than expected and the damage to property and lives was enormous: the tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the eastern United States
In the last decade, two and a half million people were affected by "natural disasters" - earthquakes, storms, floods, landslides, and the like - not including the victims of the tsunami and Katrina. About 60% more than in the previous decade. In 2004, insurance companies paid about 40 billion dollars to policyholders who were damaged by nature
One of the most prominent causes of emotional trauma is the simple fact, more people were "in the path" of the disaster, more and more populated areas and areas, more people in settlements and more settlements in the wrong places from the environmental aspect such is New Orleans.... And I will come back to that. In between there were: deadly floods in India, China, Bangladesh, avalanches of snow and mud in thousands, floods in Eastern Europe and more.
In all the other events, the injuries to life and property were not so painful, but what unites all "natural disasters" is the knowledge that they were expected. Warnings from geologists, forecasters and other "prophets", who predicted natural disasters and warned against megalomaniacal development that does not take environmental conditions into account.
It is debatable whether those disasters were caused by global warming as a result of the emission of pollutants, if so and if not, it is clear that in most cases it was also possible to predict the expected and at least reduce the fatal results. In Bombay, the municipal drainage system was built in the nineteenth century for a small town. Engineers warned, citizens sent petitions, to no avail, when the floods came the old drainage system could not withstand the pressure... the results are fatal
In Europe, where today there is a growing awareness of the environment, forests have been cut down, water bodies have dried up, two factors that moderate extreme flows and prevent or moderate floods. The avalanches of snow and mud can be attributed to warming and we will not fix this in our generation.
In China, the deadly floods were only a warning sign as the Chinese continue to dry up water bodies, and the deforestation is intensified by the needs of extensive development. Forests and bodies of water moderate floods, when they are gone the floods will be stronger, and much more deadly.
The floods in Bangladesh, despite the sad images, are a regular and well-known part of the residents' lives, therefore the damage to the soul is minimal, the residents know how to behave according to a long-standing tradition and accept the floods as an organic part of the course of life.
Back to the tsunami, in recent years crazy development has caused the destruction of coral reefs on islands and beaches, the development of aquaculture farms and the demand for wood have caused the destruction of mangrove forests Coral and mangrove forests form a buffer between the sea waves and the land, according to many researchers, if they had existed, the tsunami damage would have been much smaller. In Florida, wetlands are drained for the purpose of developing residential buildings, thus removing the natural buffer between the sea and the land. In California, hills are flattened and turned into asphalt and houses thereby increasing the risk of floods
One of the most prominent examples of disregard for nature and the environment is New Orleans. New Orleans began to be built in the "French Quarter", as a small town on the hills at the mouth of the Mississippi. The river created a huge alluvial fan with swamps and forests that formed a buffer between the town and the ocean. The American megalomaniacal need to develop the major port on the East Coast resulted in the drying up of the drift fan. In order to allow development, dams were erected that prevented the sea from entering the arid area, an area where most of the Eretz was established due to the diversion of the water to dry the city areas, the water level was raised, which necessitated raising the dams and adding pumps (like we have in the Dead Sea) and so on.
If the phenomenon of warming did not exist, it is possible that such a strong storm would not have been formed, if the natural buffer had not been removed, the impact of the storm would have been minimal. Let's mention again a shocking figure: 4% of the world's population lives in the USA, and the USA produces 25% of the greenhouse gases.
In addition to Bangladesh, there are other places where natural events are accepted and considered. A western example is the Netherlands, most of which is built in low-lying areas, in addition to a system of dams and pumps that protect these areas, the construction of which takes into account the possibility of flooding and the houses are built on platforms that will be flooded during flooding. Of course, it is very expensive, but certainly much cheaper than destruction and destruction such as New Orleans
The forecasts show that extreme weather phenomena will intensify, specifically in less developed countries, the residents know how to deal with natural phenomena, but they do not have the tools to deal with extreme phenomena than were known until now, phenomena that in some cases happen because of the activities of the residents of the developed countries, and therefore the responsibility for prevention and help lies with them.
As sad as it is, perhaps a partnership and similarity in the fate of US citizens with Indians, Iranians, Thais, Bangladeshis, Chinese and the like will do something to internalize the need for consideration of nature by the "leadership of the free world", perhaps.
