Climate Change

There seems to be more and more evidence of the dynamic effect on our lives and economy from climate change. This month we read and see evidence of flooding all over the world. Closer to home we have severe flooding in Manitoba and New Brunswick as well as a host of other places where the degree and severity do not warrant national news coverage.

The potential for economic ruin in the flooded areas is real and if the act of nature were to occur several years in a row we could be in real trouble. In South East Asia this year up to 40% of the farmland was flooded and there will be no or lesser crop yields of rice in this rice economy.Already there are forecasts of world level difficulties of providing food for millions of people. Europe and its bread basket were hit with similar problems where crops were supposed to be less than half in many areas.

Without belabouring the point we should be doing immediately what we should have been told to do years ago and prepare for the changing climate challenge. With world concerns turned into world action plans we have the resources to cope with the situation. Resources now used to build and buy guns can be used to make butter. I read a book years ago and it talked about the choice of guns or butter and it describes the situation we find ourselves at this time.

I wish to think that our world and national leaders could work together and solve the challenges we have before us.It is a sad commentary on our civilization when leaders waste fortunes on guns and their countrymen are starving. Case in point is North Korea where one of the largest armed forces on the planet exists and thousands are in danger of starvation. All over Africa the same condition exists.

Mother Nature holds the upper hand in this theatre and we must work with her to co-exist on this planet earth.