If you were to ask me what is the most urgent and important issue to face the world and the United States at the moment, you’d probably expect me to talk about freedom to love whomever you want or something like that. Others might say the most important and urgent issue is terrorism, the economy or any number of other trivial issues. They might pick real but more long term issues such as education and health care. Yet, all of these pale in comparison to the one overriding issue: the environment. There is no issue more important or urgent than the environment. People in the US and our motherland Britain often hype terrorism as the most important issue, but consider how few people die from terrorism compared to one environmental issue, such as the massive flooding in Asia or the hundreds of thousands of people who died from the tsunami last year. Recently, in Iraq, a thousand people stampeded each other to death, showing that terrorism is no match for simple human panic. Terrorism is a footnote in history. Yet, the media sensationalizes every issue, which has led to hysteria. If one child is abducted and the story is repeated a thousand times, it is as though a thousand children were abducted. If one blonde woman missing in Aruba is covered repeatedly and hundreds of thousands dead or homeless in India and China is rare, if ever, covered, then the impression is that one attractive American is more important than thousands of “foreigners.” The point is that our priorities have become skewed by our media culture. That, fortunately or not, will come to an end very soon, as the US falters on its last leg.

Although history may likely blame Bush for the fall of the US, it has been a long time coming. The “United States” is far from united. We rarely work together. We only panic together. The division is one of the few things that hasn’t changed since the US was created. America, though, was pristine and unpolluted back then. And, just as our debt to China did not build up in half a decade, neither did our destruction of the environment. However, in the last five years pollution has increased exponentially as every last environmental standard was striped away under the Bush administration. Couple this with China’s rapid industrial growth and we have a climactic climatic result.

The earth has the ability to heal itself. We pollute it and nature filters it out. Up until the 21st century, if we had stopped polluting, the earth could have fixed itself with little devastation. However, within the last five years we have pushed past the point of no return. Even if we stop driving all of our missions of vehicles, millions will still die. Though, we should still stop driving those cars, lest it be hundreds of millions.

For a long time now, Americans have been complacent passengers. As long as the car is moving, we don’t really care where we’re going. We’re content just to watch the scenery go by. Unfortunately, we’ve let the Bush administration drive us right off a cliff. It’s not that we will eventually wake up to the radical changes that are being made. It is too late. All we will see is the ground coming toward us. That sounds rather apocalyptic, but hear me out. Setting the environment aside for just a moment, I believe that the 2004 election was indeed rigged as the evidence suggests. And, as I said before that election, if George W. Bush is reelected, that would be the last presidential election. That was it. Carl Rove will never give up what he has worked so hard for. We can already see the radical steps made by the administration to control, limit or even abolish the Judicial branch of the government in order to eliminate checks and balances. They want absolute power and will never be satisfied because, like all Conservatives, they are not satisfied with their own lives. That is why they can never have enough power. You may say that they’ll go too far and all of their brilliant marketing and fear tactics won’t pull America far enough right to keep them in power, but America will be torn apart long before then. Consider that our souring debt under the reckless Bush administration is occurring at the same time that China is becoming the economic superpower of the world. And, with internal fighting in the US over abortion, gay marriage, the Iraq war, stem cell research, free speech, government corruption and other passionate issues, the US is likely to tear itself apart from the inside out when it goes broke. So now couple that with the devastating global climate (weather) change that has increased exponentially over just eh last few years of the new millennium, costing the US literally billions of dollars, and you have a scenario genuinely worthy of panic (though I’d rather you keep reading first).

So, how do I know that this recent increase in “natural disasters won’t pass? Well, they will pass, but the earth as we know it will be very different by then. Since hurricane Katrina’s devastating effect on places like New Orleans has been in the news recently, we’ll start with hurricanes. As any weatherman will tell you, hurricanes form over warm water and draw their energy to sustain or increase them from a high sea surface temperature. Now, with global warming, that water, whether it is near the equator or in the Gulf of Mexico, has become warmer. So, whereas elderly Florida residents has seen major hurricanes a couple times a generation, they saw that increase to once every few years to now more than once a year. Florida is quickly becoming uninhabitable. We recently witnessed the end of New Orleans. People has spoke or rebuilding, but there will not be the opportunity. Nature does not have a consciousness that tells it to stop once it destroys a place. The hurricanes will continue to grow in size and strength over the next few years.

I have been told repeatedly, “You can’t predict earthquakes. It’s impossible. No one knows what causes earthquakes.” Of course, I’ve heard this often about a whole number of things, even hurricanes. So many Americans seem to enjoy being blissfully ignorant. They try to simplify the world. In order to dot hat, you can’t know very much. That’s why people often feel that the past was simpler, before they knew how complicated the world is, but the world is as simple and complicated as it ever was. It is our perceptions of that world that have changed through increased knowledge. It’s easy to long for the days when God made the weather and that was the end of the discussion. However, the only thing more dangerous than ignorance is self-hatred. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a bit more open-minded. It frustrates me sometimes that people could be so blind. Perhaps it frustrates you too. Yet, since how you feel toward a person/event tells you more about yourself than it does about the other person/event, part of that frustration must be related to my own feelings of frustration and helplessness that I have regarding changing the world. Part of it is also that I don’t want to be right. I don’t want to see people suffer and die needlessly simply because we, as humans and as Americans, can’t give up our conveniences. Well, it seems we’ll have no choice now.

Now back to earthquakes. Imagine that the surface of the earth is a cracked eggshell floating on top of a liquid current surrounding a spinning core. Aside from the eggshell, that’s what the earth is. The surface is composed of fragments floating on constantly moving lava. Earthquakes occur when pressure below the earth’s surface causes these fragile pieces to move and therefore send shock waves. Now, since all these pieces--or plates--are connected together forming the earth’s surface, movement travels all the way around the world. For example, you can track earthquakes and see how the earthquake in the Indian ocean eventually led to all the earthquakes in California in June. Now consider that stress on the earth’s surface can influence those earthquakes that always begin under the surface. Temperature plays a major role. That’s why earthquakes are more common in summer than winter and why major earthquakes are more likely to occur when there is a sudden or unseasonable temperature change in the weather from cool to warm. Whenever you hear the phrase “unseasonably warm” applied to the weather, you need to not only watch for hurricanes and thunderstorms but also earthquakes. So, with global warming, even earthquakes will increase in magnitude and frequency. The difference is that you can see a hurricane coming. You may not experience a mild tremor before “the big one.”

The most obvious effects of global warming still remain melting ice. For example, for thousands of years there were glaciers in Glacier National Park (hence the name). However, now there are none let. Siberia has almost completely thawed. Scientists are baffled as to why it is happening so quickly--in only a few years, which is far faster than anyone (except Hollywood writers) had predicted. Yet, global warming goes beyond Portugal being on fire for an entire summer, droughts in Spain or massive heat waves around the world. At this point it becomes global weather change. After all, so many people often overlook the obvious. Melting ice creates water and therefore massive flooding. We can see this strongest in India and China right now, though it has been experienced throughout the US as well since this winter was colder and packed more snow on mountains. That led to flooding in the spring in places like Yosemite. Also, as cold air from melting ice comes down from the north and hot air comes from an ever warming equator, the mixture creates thunderstorms--a phenomenon which will become so severe as to ground countless flights. You might remember that, after the tsunami, scientists were explaining how all the extra water introduced far inland would change precipitation patters and lead to a local climate change. That was just a single flood.

So, if all of this is caused by global warming triggered by CO2 buildup in the atmosphere, why would winters be colder? In the movie the Day After Tomorrow, the North Atlantic current completely shut down. Now, if that happened, we would be thrown into another ice age and, despite how ridiculous many people think the scenario is, the storms shown in the movie provide the first explanation I’ve seen for why creates like the wooly mammoth were found flash frozen. However, what the movie doesn’t mention is that, with the Northern Hemisphere frozen over, the Southern Hemisphere would be much warmer. We live in a closed system, where the average temperature of the earth only varies by a few degrees even through ice ages. That is to say that, if you took the temperature of every part of the earth and averaged it all out, the resulting number would be relatively consistent over thousands of years. That means that parts of the earth grow colder as other parts grow warmer. You can also end up with a lukewarm result. If ice melts because of a warm atmosphere, the melting ice becomes cool water which runs down and can cool warm low lying areas until the water warms. You see, since most of the earth is water, water remains the greatest factor in heat distribution on the earth, whether on land, in rain clouds, or in the ocean. The easiest way to demonstrate this is to put an ice cube into room temperature water or pour hot water into cold or lukewarm water. Also, there is a consistent amount of water on the face of the earth, so, just as melting glaciers can mean rising oceans, a drought in one area means flooding in another. Always ask yourself where the water went.

Global climate change (or “global weather change”, since so many people don’t understand the concept of climate but can readily observe weather patterns) is part of a cycle. That is why I know that the rapid and radical climate changes will continue and only increase. We continue to pollute and in fact pollute more, as part of the president’s “War on Terra [Earth],” so the earth continues to warm, melting, thunderstorms, droughts and flooding continue, and “natural” disasters increase. Consider the predictions of frequent hurricanes, melting of Siberia and glaciers, global flooding and storms, etc. in the '90's. Everything that has happened in these last five years was not predicted to occur until 2100 or later. Remember global warming being the long term problem? Obviously, it can't be considered that anymore. As far as "natural" disasters, the rare has become regular and the unheard of has become the rare. Every year, new records are being broken for storms, floods, droughts, earthquakes, melting ice and heat waves around the world. Scientists have been keeping many records since the 1800's and have researched further back. That's another way that I know that such radical climate changes are certainly possible. Radical climate changes have occurred throughout history. In fact, history has been preserved not by slow change but by sudden catastrophes. For example, if an animal dies, it's bones would fade to dust and no evidence of it's existence would be left unless it were suddenly buried, allowing the bones to fossilize. Consider also how Pompeii was preserved by the ash from the disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Cataclysmic climate changes may seem too "extreme" for some people, but it has happened before.

Yet, the American government refuses to acknowledge science and the American people refuse to acknowledge the severity. We ignore the rest of the world. Before Huricane Katrina devistated New Orleans, I had thought that if a Tsunami had hit the US and killed tens to hundreds of thousands of people here, things would have been different. After all, only a few thousand people died on September 11th, 2001, but now I see people just watching sit-coms, talking on their cell phones, driving their SUVs and buying luxury items. I hate to say it, but it may be because the people in New Orleans are Black. A few White people in Britain were killed and it was all over the news, while thousands did in Africa. We have a major problem with Black-White relations in this country, but that's a lengthy history lesson for a separate thought.

It may also be that we don't wan to admit to ourselves just how bad things are. In Pompeii, if the citizens had left the area at the first signs of trouble, they would have survived. Instead, they stayed until things became too bad to leave. In their case, it wasn't that they weren't paying attention. They didn't know what to do and simply thought it would pass, the way many people today think the climate changes will just pass. In The Day After Tomorrow, the people in the library after New York flooded and froze over didn't think that things would get any worse so they went out in the snow and froze to death. Most people will be taken by surprise by the catastrophes to come. So, what will happen? Well, being in California, it concerns me that a major earthquake will devastate California within the new few years. And, like many in New Orleans before the hurricane, I want to leave but can't (we'd need a reliable car and a reliable destination). Since the US economy is so dependant on California, it would likely collapse. Also, since California is densely populated in many areas, a million, possibly millions may die. There will be tornadoes throughout the plains. It will almost be like the scene from Hollywood in The Day After Tomorrow, though it is unlikely in California and far more likely in the South and Midwest. Of course, with global weather change, anything's possible anywhere. As we have seen already, Europe, having ocean directly to it's north unlike the US, will continue to see the weather extremes first. However, North America extending to the Artic won’t give us heat distribution protection forever. The US, for many reasons, will fall within the next few years. Some of it will be political. The time is short.

To many people, modern weather is just an odd occurrence. When people do react, it will be panic. So often people are either asleep or hysterical. Al Gore foresaw these last five years and the near future with his book Earth in the Balance. He said that weather would kill more people than terrorism and was criticized for daring to say that the environment was more important. He turned out to be correct. He was even laughed at for his views. Unfortunately, most people still won't notice until things get much worse. Joey says, "Of course, I wished for this: total destruction. Unfortunately, a lot of people will suffer, but that's the only way they'll learn. I read all the--oh my god--about people being locked up. Society has to start over. It has to start all over." Here's an entry from my journal from July 21st:

Weather reporters keep using the phrase "wacky weather" or "weird weather." New it's raining. I said that it would rain again before the month was over, but no one believed me. After all the rain in June, it seemed inevitable even if this is [place] and it's very unusual. Joey's brother was watching The Day After Tomorrow yesterday and it reminded me of all the warning signs that are being taken for granted. It's going to get much worse and millions will die. But all the news today was focused on another "terror attack" in London that injured a person. Britain wants more power to detain suspects without charging them. In the US, they're saying this is why we need to renew the Patriot Act.

In New Zealand, plant and animal life will die off and people will see their skin burning before their eyes. In the US, money will be worthless. They're worried after the "terror attacks" about the stock market. There will be no stock market. It will be game over. There will be major draughts and flooding throughout Europe. People will be dying every day from the weather. Oh, wait, all that's already happening. When will scientists wake up? Al Gore was right. Who would have thought?

Is it true that the US will fall apart in 2007 because of a series of devastating events? Of course, climate changes are hitting Eurasia first. So, where can we go? The only good thing is that all this debt that I'm racking up won't matter. Is there really some divine force orchestrating all the events in the universe or is it just bad energy or good energy?

The reason that people either remain complacent or become hysterical is because they aren't prepared. SO, being aware of the events is vital. After all, it's sound advice at any time to be prepared instead of paranoid. Most people will be taken by surprise, but the more you think about it, the more you can prepare. In fact, many people will read all of this and even see the signs but push them out of their minds because it's easier to be complacent. Yet, if you have things already played out and planed out in your mind, then you can start making life changes now and be prepared if and when something does happen. Very few things really are unforeseen. Almost any scenario can be prepared for. Many times, the preparation is the same. For example, water is the first necessity. Also, consider food and first aid. Think about everything you do in a day, from heating food to using the restroom. What would you do without all these daily luxuries? How will you safely dispose of your waste? Do you know how to grow your own food? Have an emergency plan to meet together with your family. When communication goes down, you will be forced to loose your dependence on long distance connection. Money will become useless and order will break down, so know how to defend yourself. It will be anarchy. It's human nature. All that will matter is survival. Think about that. The survivors will band together and corrupt leaders or gangs will emerge in each little area. If you need to leave right away, have your most valued possessions in a spot where you can grab them and go, but be willing to part with any possessions to save yourself and those you love. This element of being psychologically prepared is often very difficult for many people. We place a great deal of value on possessions. For example, I'm taking steps to preserve my thoughts and other things (such as letters from my recently deceased grandma and emails from Joey) in one binder. Joey values pictures. Sometimes, so do I. Still, no possessions are worth dying for. After all, you can't take anything with you when you die. As far as where would be the safest place to be in the near future, I'm still not sure. It is vital to be prepared, but that doesn't make it easy. There is a lot that Joey and I can't do because of our lack of money and resources. Those two factors stopped many people from being able to leave New Orleans before hurricane Katrina hit and ended up costing many people their lives. That is why preparation must be a group effort. I realize we don't do that well here in the US, but it is a global issue and so we must all be involved. After hurricane Katrina, it is clear that the US is not prepared for disasters. That must change. We pride ourselves as being the greatest nation on earth. The US response to Katrina has proven just how far-fetched that notion is. It has also shown just how many people live in desperate poverty. The poor have gotten poorer and rich have gotten richer under the Bush economic plan.

Beyond preparation for the inevitable is prevention. After all, if we’re involving the whole world, shy work to prepare without also working to prevent? The economy is fragile. If the trade boarders between the US and China were closed, the global economy would collapse. So, you can only imagine what would happen if pollution is curbed in China, the US and India. Japan and Europe are already working to clean up. It has been hard on their economies, but it is obviously necessary. We need to eliminate all gasoline burning, non-hybrid vehicles and shut down all fossil fuel burning and coal burning power plants. If we convert to wind and solar power, most of us may survive. If we don’t’ change, millions--possibly more--will die. I fully admit that it would devastate the economy, but either the economy dies and people live or people die and the economy dies anyway. Either way, the economy is doomed. Money will be worthless. We must orchestrate the necessary changes. It will indeed destroy the global economy, but, by orchestrating it ourselves, we would have greater control, rather than waiting to be forced to make tough choices. Humans still haven’t learned the lesson that we can’t control the earth. We can’t master the planet. We must learn to live with it. If we don’t clean up our act, the earth will do it for us. Once all the gas and coal burning power plants are destroyed by natural disasters (and millions killed in the process) along with roads that would normally house polluting automobiles, the earth will have a chance to heal itself. At that point, we can’t ask, “What did we do to the earth to deserve this?” Many people will say and have already said that the world is coming to an end, but where is God? If anyone is going to destroy the earth, it will be human kind. The question is, can we also save it?

Afternotes (10/11/05): A Fox News Channel “news” program seriously asked the question, “These global events seem almost Biblical in magnitude, so is this the end of the world?” (10/19/05): Today Wolf Blitzer asked Jerry Falwell if we’re in “the end of days” and then turned to CNN’s “faith and values correspondent.” What is this country coming to?