Natural Disasters

“Marauding feral pigs have blighted a central suburb in New Zealand’s capital, killing kid goats at an urban farm, intimidating dogs and turning up in residents’ gardens” (The Guardian, September 26, 2022). One goat milk dairy farmer lost 60 goat kids to rampaging pigs, and the pigs ate everything but the large bones of the goats. The feral pigs are descendants of those brought to the island by colonists in the 1700s.

Pakistan is experiencing wide-spread flooding, along with a host of other challenges (Reuters, September 22, 2022). Hundreds of thousands of people are now displaced and living in open plains, as floodwaters cover large swaths of land. Experts predict it could take two to six months for floodwaters to fully recede. As a result of the stagnant water, mosquitos are breeding rapidly and malaria is spreading.

In a quiet moment, as you consider the impact of the major issues that fill the news cycle, do you ever wonder how things will turn out? The hotly contested subject of climate change dominates the news and is on the political agenda of countries around the world. In the spirit of contemplation, fast forward in your thoughts to an evening in 2035 AD and consider the consequences to you, personally, if proposed remedies to climate changes are implemented (cue the blurry, wavy lines and spooky harp music as the scene changes):

Extreme drought in Chile over the last 14 years has resulted in half the nation of 19 million people being in a state of “extreme water scarcity” (The Guardian, June 1, 2022). Hundreds of communities now rely on emergency tankers to bring in water from other locations. A Chilean hydrologist recently identified water shortages as a national security risk: “It’s the biggest problem facing the country economically, socially and environmentally.