Climate Change and the Increasing Frequency of World Disasters, Part 2 of 3

United Nations Secretary- General António Guterres says, “The internationally agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius is perilously close,” adding, “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top priority for everyone, everywhere.”

Under the blistering heat, Greenland’s ice sheets began to melt at an unprecedented rate. Scientists reported that in one day, July 27, 2021, the amount of ice melted could cover the US state of Florida with five cm (2 in) of water. The Greenland ice sheets contain enough water to raise global sea levels by seven meters, a change that would displace millions of people.

Marine life was also affected. Christopher Harley, a marine biologist at the University of British Columbia, estimates that more than one billon marine animals along Canada’s Pacific coast perished from the heat. As he walked along the seashore, Mr. Harley was deeply saddened by the sight of countless dead mussels killed by the blistering heat during low tide.

Madagascar is facing its worst drought in 40 years, caused by years of failed rains and intensified by a series of sandstorms. According to the World Food Program, one in six children under five in Madagascar is now suffering from acute malnutrition, and more than one million people are “food insecure.”

Mami Mizutori, the U.N. secretary general’s special representative for disaster risk reduction, says, “Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic, and there is no vaccine to cure it. Most of the world will be living with water stress in the next few years.”

Our most benevolent Supreme Master Ching Hai frequently reminds us about the urgency of halting global warming. She warns that the situation is now extremely critical, and on August 10, 2021 made the following plea to the world. “PLEASE TURN TO THE VEGAN DIET, TO RESCUE YOUR LIVES, YOUR CHILDREN’S LIVES, AND EVERY OTHER BEING’S ON THIS PLANET. Please, truly. Please wake up. Please wake your inner God’s Light nature up. Be merciful, if we want to have mercy. PLEASE, WE ARE ALL IN DANGER. PLEASE WAKE UP. PLEASE PRAY. PLEASE BE VEGAN. That’s all you have to do. BE VEGAN, MAKE PEACE.”