The Indonesian island of Sumatra, devastated by a powerful earthquake Sept. 30, was dealt further blows in the following days as huge mudslides ripped through some areas. According to The New York Times, as many as 600 people were buried by landslides after the earthquake, taking the estimated death toll well past the 1,100 previously reported.
On Thursday, Typhoon Melor continued its creep northward through Japan’s minor islands, heading for the main land masses and threatening heavy rains and high winds. The Tokai region was expected to receive more than 15 inches of rain Thursday, prompting Toyota to shut down its manufacturing plants in the area around the city of Nagoya, Japan’s third-largest city.
Meanwhile, in India a week of flooding has left more than 250 people dead in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, located in the country’s southern region. More than 2 million people fled their homes during the inundation, MSNBC reports.
And Southern California was on the good side of a cold snap this week, as temperatures dipped 10 to 15 degrees below normal В and winds died down — all boons to firefighters who were working to contain the 7,100-acre Sheep Fire that had been raging through the mountains, timber, and chaparral — not to mention communities — in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Eric,
Granted, the “highest, best use” doctrine has often been twisted to really mean “highest, fastest profit”. The imperative of the flow of commerce has, until recent years skewed legislation, court decisions and implementation of regulation against the public interest and any sort of viable ecosystem.
As awareness of consequesnces, along with education become more widespread, however, it’s hard to deny that the idea of working with the earth is gaining a foothold. Will it be in time?
Len, the idea of balance and stewardship would be new to the discussion most places, don’t you think? Generally, developers work with the mentality of disposing of the land and governments with increasing their tax base. The concepts of balance and stewardship generally don’t turn up, except rarely in the form of environmental impact statements that often seem to be bought. In my area one ongoing tragedy is the Meadowlands, a vast marsh similar to the one that’s been devastated in New Orleans. Many ways these disasters seem to be planned.
Deforestation and / or fire followed by a deluge will lead to erosion and, ultimately, landslides. How to balance the needs of a growing population with stewardship of the land on which they live is a complex predicament.
Synchronous with these is the long and continuing phenomena of Uranus and Neptune in mutual reception in the adjacent signs of Aquarius and Pisces. Water in general has been a dodgy subject since these two digns swapped ruling planets. In addition they oppose and straddle the axis of last summer’s powerful total eclipse which shadowed the earth from India, into China past the southern part of the Japanese archipelego and into the South Pacific. This same area has had wet weather and geophysical issues since September.
With monsoon season winding down to be followed by the forward station of Uranus and Neptune, perhaps there will be a bit of relief, some breathing space, a chance for responsible action.