Emilia Romagna: a region devastated by heavy rain and flooding
Climate change, between natural disasters and man-made activities, brings along massive devastation.
In 36 hours, 50 centimetres of rain fell in Emilia Romagna. In other words, the rainfall the region usually sees throughout half a year. The heavy rains and consequent flooding have devastated a large part of the area. 14 rivers had broken their banks. Ten people died and more than 10,000 had to be evacuated. Some rescued from roofs by helicopters.
In the end, extreme weather events are the result of human actions on the planet. Without any ethical consideration, man acts like the master of nature instead like a part of it. Indeed money is the only concern. Still, humans want to dominate nature, disposing of it in endless exploitation.
“We have traded nature for the economy, but in the end, we all lost. A healthy economy is not possible without healthy ecosystems. Enough with the merchants of doubts: it’s time to act.”
Mario Tozzi
The merchants of doubts are climate change deniers. We shouldn’t even waste time listening to them. Since the 70s, scientists and economists knew what was about to happen. Capitalism is an economic model that brings destruction. Now this destruction is in front of us.
“Here, natural events become catastrophic due to a worsening factor: the concrete with which we have covered the entire territory. If you take away space from a river, sooner or later, it takes it back.” – declared Mario Tozzi.
Concrete monsters, mastodontic shopping malls, intensive farming and, on top of this, fossil fuels are all part of an exploitative system that failed. In fact, climate change and natural disasters are undeniable proof of human activity over nature.
“If we squander our fossil fuels, we threaten civilisation; but if we squander the capital represented by living nature around us, we threaten life itself.” E.F. Schumacher
We must leave this pattern behind and take action now.