Once again we see the terrible results of the tectonic plate movements below populated areas with a massive M8.9 Earthquake and accompanying Tsunami which in some places may have been up to 10m in height.
The images have been beyond extraordinary. People and property being thrown about. Entire towns swept inland amongst farms, boats and vehicles like they were all just leaves afront the might of the water.
In the past humans have thought of the actions of the earth as being the result of the Gods such as Vulcan and Poseidon, we now know that earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes are actually the result of movements in the earths crust between the different tectonic plates.
Once man comprehends why something is occurring then he can truly study it objectively and adapt to the issue.
In the past due to the belief that disasters such as famine, plague, cyclones, droughts and floods were the results of displeased Gods humans rather than be able to overcome the problem would invent bizarres rituals to appease the 'god' responsible for the disaster. This lead to incredible stagnation of human development. However fortunately there have been humans that have stood out and suggested something more tangible and more real is behind the problems facing them. This led to the understanding of germs and diseases....which has increased life expectancy across the planet. So to the understanding of hydrology and meteorology.
Humans across the Globe still look to superstition and religion to explain our world around us, this has lead to increased problems on our growing populations especially with AIDS (which many people believe is an act of God against those who break his rule of sex outside marriage) and rain fluctuations such as the El Nino events which have many people rather than being prepared looking to Gods for assistance.
This increased understanding of our environment as resulted in incredible change and adaptation. The clear example is the differences in loss of life and property in the past and in poorer nations with poor planning and building codes. in 1906 San Francisco lost over 3000 people and up to 300,000 homeless from a population of 410,000 and Bam in Iran in 2003 in which 26,000 people died from a population of 97,000. What this evidence tells us that if we learn from disasters and adapt and change to the environment we will survive them.
In my opinion this new religion of 'climate change alarmism' will divert humans attention from adapting to their environment and focusing more on a 'higher' unquenchable problem. The climate change alarmists have already raised their heads, with many even in the relatively short period since the quake declaring the connection between tectonic plate movements and their 'human induced climate change cause'.
People have also posted on the net their fear of a nuclear Holocaust over that of the actual disaster, it is this focus away from the actual problem that will hamper humanity's ability to face it and adapt to it. The fact is that Japan itself has actually had Atomic Bombs dropped on it and had thousands killed as a result however the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and now thriving metropolises also the greatest power plant accident in the world was not a nuclear one but a Hydroelectric one. Knowing this does not mean we should fear Hydro electricity, but rather understand what went wrong and adapt our methods and techniques to overcome the faults and problems which is the same as the fear surrounding nuclear power plants.
The recent floods in Australia was a testament to this hypocrisy which is based on the new 'climate change alarmist fundies', the reason I call this hypocrisy is that these people who spout the 'reason' for the problems they see are in fact the contributors to it. It is the same hypocrisy that organised religion has used since its inception, that the leaders and those most loudly extolling the beliefs are most often those breaking their own commandments. By that I mean the man at the pulpit who is telling his farmer flock that the reason for their crop failures is because of their hedonism and lack of faith and yet he himself is breaking most rules in the book with the choirboys. Similarly the 'climate change alarmist fundies' that are extolling their alternative energy views are the ones with air conditioning in their homes, purchasers of new cars and fashions all which result in the release of carbon into the atmosphere.
What needs to be done is actually look at the problem and deal with it based on fact. So if you live in a flood plain....build you house on stilts. If you live in a cyclone affected area... build a cyclone proof house and safe room. If you live in a snow affected area...insulate your home.
It does sound crazy doesn't it..... to actually adapt to the environment. However like the days of the Aztecs sacrificing thousands innocent kids to ensure increased rainfall or the Roman Catholics paying large amounts of money for the construction of a Basilica to rid them of personal guilt for hurting other people...this new religion is just as crazy.
The earthquake in Japan proves one thing loud and clear, the better you adapt and prepare for a disaster the better your population and economy will survive it.
It is economic freedom which allows people and their governments to adapt and prepare for these disasters. The difference between the affects on a population is clear depending on its financial abilities, note the difference between Haiti and Iran which were decimated by smaller earthquakes compared with Japan and New Zealand which despite similar quakes the death toll and damage was dramatically contained in comparison. Similarly the tsunamis that hit south east Asia did a phenomenal amount of damage in comparison to the coastline of Japan which has a series of mitigation constructions built as a result of what was learnt in the Kobe Earthquake which killed 6000 people.
It is economic freedom that is in fact the best antidote to the environment's fluctuations, this economic freedom and development is under attack from the ideology that hampered cultures in the past with governments investment being diverted from dealing with the actual problem and how to not be affected as badly in the future, to 'spiritualism' and 'snake oil' treatments which will in fact only serve to better the position of a few.
In my opinion too much energy and airtime is wasted on talking about the 'gods' behind these disasters rather then giving true warning to those at risk. This was seen in Brisbane, when people seemed to be ignorant of an impending flood despite heavy rain up river. The problem with this diversion of interest means that people will disregard real ways of avoiding disasters.....as can be seen when idiots go down to 'rubber neck' and put themselves in danger.
Like it or not floods happen so too do hurricanes, bushfires, earthquakes, tsunamis and droughts, it is how we deal with them that will be our success.... not how we talk about which 'humans' or 'gods' are to blame.