The cry of the earth
This piece first appeared in the Jersey Evening Post on 7 September 2017
Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew released a joint statement on the first day of September, calling on those in positions of power and responsibility ‘to hear the cry of the earth, and to attend to the needs of the marginalized.’
Have there been any noticeable cries from the earth recently? Well, half of Bangladesh got submerged in floodwater, Mumbai was brought to a halt by waist-deep water, and Nepal suffered floods too. At least 1,200 people have been killed by these South Asian monsoon floods. Hurricane Harvey has brought devastation to Texas and parts of Louisiana, flooding hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. A chemical works has exploded and goodness-knows-what toxic pollution is being spread by the waters, although far fewer humans have been killed so far.
Monsoons and hurricanes are regular occurrences in those parts of the world, so what is so different this year? Global warming. Warmer air can hold more moisture, while warmer seas put more energy, as well as more water, into weather systems. Global warming has also changed the behaviour of the jet streams. Weather systems that used to move on now linger, locked in place in their meanders. While Houston was drowning, crops were failing in Montana, Iowa, California and elsewhere due to drought and heat. While South Asia was inundated, droughts were devastating Somalia, Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa.
Yet we heard from the IMF in 2015 that globally, subsidies to the fossil fuel industries from governments rose to $5.3 trillion (6.5 percent of global GDP) that year, up from $4.9 trillion in 2013. In 2016, Aviva, Aegon and Amlin, insurance companies managing $1.2 trillion of risk, called for the G20 to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels by 2020.
These cries of the earth are terribly relevant to Jersey because Jersey is totally dependent on the international finance system. Risk, investment and subsidy are central to global capitalism. We enjoy our privileged and protected lifestyles here while the coral reefs bleach, the soils die and the floodwaters rise elsewhere. When we hear the thunder of the military jets on Air Display day, maybe we should ask ourselves, ‘What are they really for? What were they built to protect?’
Are we in any sense ‘attending to the needs of the marginalized?’ What degree of suffering are we prepared to support and finance globally, to maintain our present levels of comfort and convenience?
