Monday 30 August 2010

Planet bites back.

If, like me, you thought the current Pakistani flood was a natural disaster, think again.

This arrived today from my friend and Green activist Elizabeth Perey in Tasmania:

“I did not know about the deforestation of Pakistan, so assume at least some of you did not know either.” (Take the link).

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/world-news/a-land-left-to-drown-by-the-timber-mafia-1.1051230

Greed, and the corruption it creates, poisons everything. I posted this limerick a few weeks ago, but figure it’s worth another run!


"It's only one tree," so they say,
"It really is quite in the way!"
But, permission given
To every one livin',
Would leave the world bare in a day!

‘Think globally and act locally’ was never more urgent!

Pic: Clearfelling in Australia, 1905, when to not clear land of trees attracted a tax.

10 comments:

  1. I am shocked and appalled, I really am...I don't know what to say. I cannot believe that greed and corruption have caused this. I too was under the impression that it was a natural disaster. Thank you for this post, Stafford, stirring, sobering and so tragic. "Think globally and act locally" indeed.

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  2. Ha! Great limerick. Tree felling is one issue but there are other issues like the mass population of flood plains because the people have no where else to go and need access to water.

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  3. A couple of years ago we had unheard of floods here in the UK (now all the publicity has died down but people living in those flooded areas are still camping out!) alot down to homes being built on flood plains.
    Thanks for posting this Stafford.

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  4. I am shocked and yet, in some ways not surprised! Have we not learned from many mistakes that widespread treefelling creates a backlash? Thanks for the info about Pakistan!

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  5. If only we could be different. But after all we are human, and maybe destruction is our nature, especially of what we love? I am sorry for it all, everything, in every corner, we see it. There are things that happen, because of what we do.

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  6. If Only.

    If only
    We could be different.
    But after all,
    We are human.

    And maybe,
    Destruction is our nature,
    Eespecially of what we love?
    I am sorry for it all,
    Everything.

    In every corner,
    We see it.
    There are things that happen,
    Because
    Of what we do.

    Subconscious poetry by Annell Livingstone.

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  7. Native American saying: 'Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river poisoned, will you realise you can't eat money.'

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  8. ha. love what you did with annel's comment...it is an eye opener...though it does not surprise me...

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