by Taetske | 7:07 pm
(Last Updated On: August 6, 2021)

 

Mother Earth is burning. What have we done!

 

Forest Fire

Forest Fire image Gerd Altman

 

We, as the human race, have an enormous responsibility. We have to take care of Mother Earth. The environment is our habitat. Nature provides us with food, shelter, water, and air, and by using the available resources intelligently, there is enough for everybody.

We also have a responsibility towards future generations. The children of your children and their children.

 

Our environment is disappearing at an alarming rate

Is our behavior responsible? Do we take care of the environment? Sadly, we do not, and the telltale consequences are becoming more visible every day. Worldwide, anyone can observe where this “taking care” has definitely gone wrong.

The list of our wrongdoings is getting longer every day, and some situations have passed the point of no return. Here are a few examples just to show you how sad and awful it has become.

Human greed is a destructive force that can cause uncounted consequences which affect all the inhabitants of this planet. It has an influence on fauna, flora, and you. Everything is related and creation shows us that all of it is important.

It is imperative to keep a healthy and often beautiful balance in place. When men interfere and upset this balance, we all will suffer eventually.

 

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria image E. Dichtl

 

At the moment there are many raging fires across the globe

The famous Canary islands are on red alert as temperatures of 39C (102F) are expected. These islands are located south/west of Spain and are just off the coast of Africa.

Each of these islands has a distinct personality, beauty, and unusual nature, and is a big tourist attraction. During wintertime, the temperatures are very mild, which is why wintertime is considered the high season for these islands.

Recently a fire broke out in the center of Gran Canaria, which over the past few days, turned out to be a terrible one. It was in the center of the island where the mountainous terrain made it very difficult for the firefighters.

Often the fires were nearly inaccessible. 9000 people had to be evacuated twice from their villages.16 aircraft and 1000 firefighters battled the blaze which ruined 10.000 hectares and also burned part of the precious Tamada Natural Park

 

Baikal in Russia

Baikal in Russia image Leah Li

 

More wildfires this summer

An awful fire in Siberia is putting Russia on track for having its worst year on record. The smoke was so immense that part of the country was in a haze. This cloud of smoke arrived at major cities like Novosibirsk, and imagine, it even crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived in the United States.

Siberia is huge and normally fires rage until nature extinguishes them, with the first rains of October or with the first snowfalls. This time, it was fought but the fire still destroyed 21.000 square miles of forest, an area about the size of Belgium.

Trying to stop this fire was extremely difficult, and even the use of bulldozers to create fire lines was not always effective. The clearing of vegetation like dry moss and anything combustible might slow down the fire, but any wind gust can make a spark fly and the fire continues on the other side of the fire line.

 

Talkeetna in Alaska

Talkeetna in Alaska image David Mark

 

Alaska and its extreme weather condition

When one thinks about Alaska, one does not have a tropical climate in mind. Well, this summer it was different as Alaska suffered extreme weather conditions. The capital, Anchorage, registered its hottest June ever and reached a record-breaking 90F (32C) on July 4th. That is more like Spain but for Alaska very unusual.

There was little rain, so the entire area was a kind of dry, which makes people aware climate change is here. These events are no longer sporadic or once in a while, but we must be prepared for these things to happen much more frequently and soon it will be the norm to look out of the window to see smoke and even flames.

I have a friend who lives in Alaska who told me that for weeks on end the air was nearly unbreathable.

Alaska has known many big and devastating fires in the past. The big fire of 2004 burned 6.5 million acres. This year, 2019, fires have, up till now, “only” consumed 2.5 million acres, but the summer is not over yet, and till the rains come there is still a high chance of more wildfires.

This is a disturbing YouTube video. What if we cleared the Amazon? At the rate it is going, soon there will not be much left.

 

 

The green lung of our world is on fire

When far-right Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil in January 2019, there were many people who feared for the worst. It seems he shares a similarity in worldview together with President Trump, giving priority to big companies above the urgent need to protect the environment.

After all, the Amazon is the world’s biggest lung and produces clean air for the world. Clearing trees to convert the land into pasture for the millions of cattle the world still seems to need for food is reducing the Amazon forest at an alarming rate.

Often, the trees are not just cut down but set on fire. This gives the soil a short-term nutrient enrichment because of the ash and minerals left on the soil.

For the past few years, Brasil had shown an understanding of this problem and even actively started protecting this precious part of the world. Now, with this newly elected president, all previously achieved goals come to naught.

 

Brazil

Brazil image Rosa Maria

 

The president sacked the head of the agency, as there was a fierce disagreement on deforestation data. This is like when Mr. Trump fired the director of the EPA. These 2 men think along the same lines. To hell with the environment, let future generations find another place to live. We need to fill our pockets now.

Amazon is burning with an increase of 84% compared to the same period of the last year 2018. Remember that the Amazon is home to three million plant species and animals of which only a small part has been studied.

must also remind the reader of the fact that there are one million indigenous people living there. Where can they go? The fires are destroying their homes and food sources.

Recently there was a blackout in Sao Paulo. It seems the reason was the smoke of all these Amazon fires, which were 2.700km (1.700 miles) away. Some meteorologists said it was caused by the fires in Paraguay and not in the Amazon region, but the fact remains that smoke can leave a vast city without electricity.

People living in big cities must prepare themselves for the worst. It will only get hotter and dryer. With these men in power, and the trees disappearing, what air will be there to breathe in the future?

 

This book is a celebration of the trees

Colin Tudge, the author of this book, travels the world to explore the beauty, variety, and ingenuity of trees. Why they grow so strong and talk to each other like a genuine family. This is a fascinating and magical book, and you will see trees with fresh eyes.

 

 

As an Afterthought

What are we doing to Mother Earth? All these fires cause greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gasses make the ice melt faster. The water levels will rise worldwide and people will lose the ground under their feet. Plants and animals will die as it destroys their habitat.

Our waters and air will get so polluted that we have to walk with face masks on and filter or distill our water. Many people in China and Japan are already living like this. At the rate we are going, the entire world might soon adopt this “new fashion” of wearing face masks.

I wrote this post in August 2019. Who could have imagined the entire world would wear masks because of COVID-19?

 

Rainforest

Rainforest image Rosina Kaiser

 

Personally, I would rather see a regeneration of Mother Earth. Having her shine in her total beauty once more. Giving us once again the joy of looking at beautiful nature and breathing pure and health-giving air.

Before you leave, have a look at Recommendations. It is a special page I have made for you. It holds a collection of things you might find interesting.

 

Source: The news these last weeks

Photo Source: Pixabay

 

It is time we speak up and people do that worldwide. Have a look at the following post.

Why People Are Fed Up With Their Leaders and Governments

 

 

 

Comments

Ashleigh

I could not agree more with you about this. The whole situation is utterly terrifying; some days I can’t even bear to read the news because of it all. The recent fires in the Amazon are shocking, but there are many more fires in Africa, namely in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo. The situation is causing this massive public outcry, and yet some of our world leaders don’t even believe in climate change! Scary world we live in right now. I think it’s up to the general public to do something about this, make our voices heard, because our leaders are failing us at the moment. Great article, thank you so much for the intelligent insight!

Aug 26.2019 | 07:20 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Ashleigh,

    Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.

    It is crazy some leaders do not believe in climate change when it is happening in front of their noses. Next time people should choose better leaders that is for sure. Sadly, before that happens a lot more damage is being done to Mother Earth. Did you see the green widget under my photo? bUnited is a world movement which might make a difference. Please have a look.

    Regards, Taetske

    Aug 27.2019 | 06:22 am

Ramos

This article needs to reach everyone possible and I will do good to share this out to the world. It is really disheartening to see mother earth suffering Luke this due to either our ignorance or greed. Different fire outbreaks on heavens wonders. Also, these are great places that are the reason people took notice of them getting burnt. There are countless other places where various fire outbreak occurs almost every time and this is generally y detrimental to us all as humans. Thanks for sharing this article

Aug 26.2019 | 07:25 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Ramos,

    Yes, I know, there are many more places that have fires and they do not always make the news on a global level. These last years the countries bordering the Mediterranean sea had a lot of very bad fires and also Germany. There are far too many and these fires destroy beautiful nature and the habitat of many species. 

    Have you seen the green widget save the planet under my photo? Please have a look. You will find a world movement which would be of big help. Thank you for your visit and comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.

    Regards, Taetske

    Aug 27.2019 | 06:14 am

Henderson

I totally agree with you on this one, we are doing mother earth more bad than good and the earth has given us allweve wanted and we are not preserving it. There is no hope for the future the way things are going and I hope that we all can take responsibility of taking care of the earth. The issue with the Amazon is alarming, a friend spoke about the rain that started in the Amazon some days ago but the fire didn’t stop after rain went. The president of Brazil denies starting the fire but locals say otherwise. We really need to preserve the earth.

Aug 26.2019 | 07:27 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Henderson,

    Thank you for visiting my website and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    Yes, all these happenings in our world are alarming and it is high time we do something about it. Did you see the green widget under my photo? bUnited could be the answer to all these problems, please have a look.

    Regards, Taetske

    Aug 27.2019 | 06:07 am

Geoff

It is awful when wild fires break out as it devastates landscapes and destroys houses and businesses.  We see it in the news and think that it’s terrible, but yet we are removed from it and think no more about it.  

We need to be far more aware personally about what is happening.  It is not up to the government to sort this, it is down to you and to me.  It starts and stops with us and what we do.

But the situation in Brazil is even worse when it is deliberate.  And the fact that the Brazilian rain forests affect the climates in the rest of the world, it is even more serious.

Thanks for sharing.

Mar 14.2021 | 07:22 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Geoff,

    Thank you for your comment. Nice to see you again.

    As you say, sitting at home and looking at the news, it often touches us but remains far away. If there is a fire raging close by, then the perspective changes.

    I live in the south of Spain and over the years have seen some destructive fires close by. In 2012 there was the big Costa del Sol fire, which started in the neighbor village. That Thursday afternoon the wind came from the sea/east and blew inland. Had the wind come from the west, as it normally does here, the fire would have come to my place. Negligence caused it. A gardener had burned a pile of garden debris and left too early. A wind came up and sparks ignited the fire in the parched countryside. 

    The fires are already awful, but what happens afterward is worse. Most times nothing happens. No cleaning up of the area and replanting new trees. 

    Regards, Taetske 

    Mar 15.2021 | 07:47 am

Cal Mbano

Hi, there. I wanted to say I enjoyed reading your article on Mother Earth is burning. What have we done!. But how can anybody enjoy reading a tale of devastation?

 You discussed many places that were destroyed by fires. Most of the fires were human-induced, not nature. Besides the fires destroying one of the essential gifts of nature – vegetation that supplies the oxygen we breathe in for life – some living things, animals, were also consumed by the fires. Buildings and properties destroyed by the fires humans can replace. But only nature can replace the animals and the vegetation. If nature is not merciful by now, humans would be on their way to extinction. 

We (or some of us) agree that fires are due to the greenhouse effect. Don’t we know the causes of the greenhouse effects – unabated burning of fossil fuels by the industrialized nations. Previously leaders of these nations did not know. But now science has provided indisputable evidence that the activities of those countries were the culprits. It is unbelievable that some leaders, prompted and cheered on by greed for more and more money, refused to accept the scientific evidence and continued their onslaught on mother nature, on us all. 

I prefer to blame those responsible and desist from making statements like, “what have ‘we’ done to the mother earth.” But we should rejoice in the fact that nobody is greater than nature, the Creator. All must be according to His will. 

Thanks for sharing your post.

Mar 14.2021 | 07:33 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Cal,

    Thank you for stopping by and for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.

    I know this is not an uplifting post. On my website, I report on things that happen in our world and often they are negative happenings. When I started with my websites early 2017 I had no idea how it would all develop. What is sure is that my worldview has changed I have become conscious of the fact that Mother Earth would be better off without us.

    Remember the devastating bush fires in Australia from 2019 to 2020? The pictures of piled up burned animals are still in my mind. I went to get precise information, and I am shocked at the horrendous figures. In an estimate of July 2020 it says 3 billion animals. That is 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180  million birds, and 51 million frogs.

    It is true that in the past the hows and the whys were not known so well. I think that nowadays nobody can deny the fact that global warming causes climate change. Humans, with their actions, are speeding up this process. I live in the south of Spain and have seen the change in climate. Spain is drying out, and they predict that by 2050 it will be a desert. That means all the people living in south Europe will have emigrated to the north.

    Talking about responsibility. If we choose the wrong leaders who have no respect for the creation, I think we are to blame. By the next elections, we should choose leaders who help to preserve our planet.

    Regards, Taetske

    Mar 15.2021 | 04:08 pm

Jim-Kelly

Hi, thank you for this very informative post. In fact, we have a part to contribute to the planet earth to survive. The sad thing is that some countries are more aware than others about how humans are destroying the earth 

Like you said, I think in some regions of the world the damage is worse and it will be very hard to turn back to normal. Let’s hope for the best and keep doing our best to preserve the earth where we can reach. Nice post!

Mar 14.2021 | 09:56 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Jim,

    Humanity has the obligation to take care of Mother Earth. We do not own her. We are permitted to live our earthly life here. Future generations also have this right. 

    Remember the film Avatar? There it too clearly showed how disrespectful we behaved on another planet. We are doing the same here. 

    Thank you for commenting on my post. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.

    Regards, Taetske

    Mar 15.2021 | 04:18 pm

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