This post originally appeared on my political blog at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2021/08/a-reminder-afghanistan-and-climate.html.
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I've long considered the climate crisis to be our version of World War III; - not the feared nuclear holocaust I grew up with, slower to act, but just as much of an extinction of life threat, and a threat that too many people were unable - either intellectually, or because of emotional/moral cowardice - to comprehend, accept and properly act on.
In many ways, the pandemic is a sub-set of that World War III, in my opinion - it highlights the issue of zoonotic diseases that humans are going to have to deal with more as we continue to destroy the ecosystems we fundamentally need for physical survival (the concerns over bee pollination is probably one of the few areas where there has been close to a widespread comprehension and commitment to action - albeit a very slow commitment).
The effects of the
climate crisis have crossed over into politics and conflict on several
occasions - there have been warnings over the increasing risks of wars over water, and a drought forcing people into Damascus was one of the
triggers to the Syrian revolution, which was warped by militaristic
people with a Newtonian worldview and a savage despot into the Syrian civil war.
And now, an article has reminded us of the impact of the climate crisis on Afghanistan.
We really are running out of time, but we also really do have options available to address this - once we deal with and overcome our personal blindness, emotional-intellectual flaws, and lack of courage.
We cannot stay the same sort of people we are and save life on this planet - we have to change before we can do that.
