Veldfires, floods, earthquakes, landslides, typhoons and record breaking weather. These phenomenons in the weather have affected all parts of our world in the last few months. Earthquakes in Peru, landslides in the Himalayas, flooding in India and last but not least, and bringing this out of control weather closer to home, are the veldfire’s in Mpumalanga which have devastated large portions of land and caused the death of livestock and people. Officials have declared the area a disaster zone. The opposite extreme of weather is taking place in Cape Town as floods and heavy rain damage homes in townships that cannot cope with the severe storms. These opposite extremes in weather prove yet again that South Africa is a diverse country.
Dramatic shifts in climate are affecting the whole world and little is being done about it. Al Gore’s documentary about global warming, called ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, is one of the first things that I think about when I hear yet another story in the news about extreme weather in different parts of the world. Loathe it or love it, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ can be a potential eye- opener to people who believe that the world is a perfect place and that the change in climate could just be a natural process.
When you mention the word ‘global warming’ people normally role their eyes at you or make a remark about what a load of rubbish it is. This is an unfortunate truth because how much more evidence do people need when it comes to taking more care about the environment? The evidence is all around us with all of the news reports about ravaging winds, record breaking heat waves and damaging floods that leave more and more people homeless and hopeless. My suggestion is that we start being more observant about what is happening around us and think about the kind of future we would like to create for our environment and the generation to follow us. You might think that one little person cannot make a difference to a global problem, but in actual fact change does begin with individuals doing their bit and spreading the word. So, the next time that you think recycling is for sissies, think again!
To find out more visit these links:
http://www.climatecrisis.com/
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/
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