Climate Change Plays Havoc
From the desk of Editor Michael Knight. May 07 2008 Underscoring the statement that "to ignore the plausibility of abrupt climate change ..may be an act of dangerous self deception," are two natural disasters occurring at this moment. One is the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis which devastated Myanmar this past week, leaving a death toll of well over 20,000. The other is the unexpected eruption of the Chaitien volcano in Chile which has forced the evacuation of over 4000 people.
Over 5000 square kilometers of Myanmar (formerly Burma) is still under water, and under that water are the rice fields that have previously fed the country’s population of millions. Now, those millions are homeless, without shelter, facing desperate days of hunger and possibly starvation. "Prices of food, fuel and construction materials have skyrocketed and most shops have sold out of candles and batteries. An egg costs three times what it did on Friday." The cyclone struck with terrible ferocity, catching millions of people unprepared in a land where few have learned to swim and where houses are simply not built to withstand cyclonic winds. An ocean storm surge thundered ashore and instantaneously destroyed seaside villages, killing 10,000 people in one village alone. Many children are among the dead. At least another 41,000 are listed as missing. National Geographic News has a video here.
It has rendered much of the surrounding area uninhabitable and polluted rivers that till now have been relied on for water. An increase in local earthquakes is adding to the uncertainty about what will happen next. While the people in the area have been evacuated, as many as 25,000 cattle that were left behind will starve and die. Although there’s up to six inches of ash covering the surrounding region, it’s unlikely that the eruption of this one volcano – which has been dormant for almost 10,000 years – will cause a global volcanic winter. Nevertheless, the ash combined with rain will certainly create an acid soup that will wreak havoc with plant life wherever it falls. Reuters saysthe volcano could spew ash for months.
Chaitien is a long dormant volcano. And yet its sudden eruption was not unexpected – at least to those who have been aware that Nature is becoming increasingly active. Some of them spoke out in the documentary I directed – Contact Has Begun. It includes spectacular footage of erupting volcanoes, both on land and under the ocean. In it James Gilliland speaks of accurate visions he’s had of earthquakes and tsunamis, but I wanted to also back that up with other sources of evidence and information. That’s when I came across a report prepared for the US Department of Defense in 2003. It was from that document that I got the quote – "to ignore the plausibility of abrupt – climate change, may be an act of dangerous self deception." I also spoke with scientists about the ocean dead zones that James mentioned and found the situation was much worse than even James was aware of. So while the DVD (shot in High Definition by the way) tells a unique and remarkable story about James’ life, it also takes a much broader view of where we’re heading as people on a planet that is signaling that she’s in the throes of change. Those changes are happening with increasing rapidity. In only a few months since the DVD was released, we have seen the world suddenly become aware of food shortages caused by natural disasters. The result has been riots in many countries where food prices have risen astronomically in a matter of weeks. It’s a grim story in a grim world. Nevertheless, there’s another side to this. And it’s the side where hope dwells.
Earth Change Report was started for that very reason. My research for the DVD alerted me to the fact that scientists are well aware that we are entering very uncertain times. They are warning us as best they can that among other things we can expect the Atlantic current (the Great Conveyor Belt) to stall and change the climate throughout Europe. I found that scientists are deeply concerned about the way ice is melting in the polar regions. Consequently, in the Arctic, polar bears are starving and dying – or drowning as they attempt to swim too far to find food. In recent editions, we’ve reported on such things as starving bats and the disappearance of bees, we’ve imagined Florida under water (which it will be before too long) and we’ve found maps that tell us what coastal areas and cities around the world will disappear as the oceans rise. On the face of it, none of that seems like good news or cause for hope does it? However, that depends on how you look at it. Let me introduce The New Earth Change Report. It looks at these things from a third perspective. It takes an objective viewpoint which sees these events not as good news or bad news, but simply as information. It is data which is actually very useful when you have the responsibility of preparing for the unexpected. Consequently, where Earth Change Report started out as a companion newsletter to the DVD Contact Has Begun, it has evolved into a very professional and focused publication…the New Earth Change Report. (It should be professional by golly. I’ve been at this business for almost 50 years! And I know more about preparing for change than the average squirrel). I’m also in the very unique position of being a totally independent journalist – with an unbiased agenda. That agenda is very simple. It boils down to condensing hours of research into articles which will save you time – and money – and give you knowledge that will be of the greatest possible value in your efforts to deal with these rapidly changing times.
It includes an extended article on what’s happening to our polar ice caps – and it also tells you who owns the money (yes, the world’s money is owned by someone). TESTIMONIALS: "I love the new newsletter, Michael." - Marsha. MT "Dear Michael - A resounding bravo!" - Sharon. "Great letter as always" - Sue.
Now here’s the good part. I want you as a subscriber but I also thought you'd like to try before you buy. So I’m going to help you do that. You can now access the First Edition for free, and see how it will provide you with vital information about climate changes – the signs that they are under way, and the consequences you should prepare for. Imagine if you were one of those people of Myanmar. Imagine if you had known even just a few days earlier that Cyclone Nargis was on the way. While it’s likely that many would have ignored or dismissed the warning some of them - you included - would have taken precautions. That's what the New Earth Change Report is for - to give you advance information about what's coming, PLUS information on how to prepare. Click here to access the First Edition. Sincerely. Michael Knight. Editor - Earth Change Report.
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