When a tropical hurricane struck the most developed country in the world, there were discussions, editorials , infographics and serious contemplation on the ‘why’.
Mother Nature isn’t biased. So the reason has to be scientific. Or geographic. Or climatology-related.
Over the past week, I have been following the path of Hurricane Sandy quite closely. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
I was alarmed and intrigued when I came across this image in one of Muscat’s dailies.
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| NY Canaries submerged |
This had to be a screen shot from Roland Emmerich’s “The Day After Tomorrow”.
Just that it was not. This was real.
I have always been passionate about the planet. Not the usual tree-hugger, but I try to do my bit.
Tell people to recycle. Turn off the water while I brush my teeth. Buy energy efficient electrical equipment. Write about global warming. Tell people about ‘An Inconvenient Truth’.
An Inconvenient Truth. Every single person should watch it once in their lifetime. Unless you watch the man who was almost the President of the United States get on a lever pully and demonstrate the severity of the situation we are in, it won’t sink in. For some, it might not sink in even after that.
If the video of icy blue glaciers breaking off an ice shelf does not stir you, it should at least make you very afraid.
It is not for nothing that it won two Academy Awards, grossed $26 million in the foreign box office, becoming the 9th highest grossing documentary films till date in the United States. Even though specific findings have been the subject of controversy, the message that is communicated cannot be escaped. Al Gore has done his bit – and I hope he continues to.
I will do my bit. Share links such as this. Make copies of the documentary and distribute it to people I know. I will pray that people wake up and find the strength to inconvenience themselves a little to keep the planet alive. I will plant trees.
In the words of an old African proverb:
“When you pray.
Move your feet.”