Sinking beneath waters

The devastation of the Gulf is heartbreaking. Hopelessness and despair in the faces of so many. The stories are causing journalists to breakdown -- jaded journalists. My heart goes out to them, to us.

I had read about the catastrophe waiting to happen in New Orleans last year in the Global Warning issue of National Geographic. Here it is almost to the picture.

We could have fixed the levees -- apparently the problems were well known. But we went on with our usual lives instead.

Look folks, the earth isn't kidding around here. With global warming, storms are going to get more severe and more frequent. High water temperatures are a key ingredient in hurricanes, and ocean water temperature is increasing. Katrina was so severe in part because the water all over the Gulf was solidly hot.

We can't walk around in a stupor thinking that what we're in the habit of doing is gonna be just fine forever and ever.

Like the guy who's just had a heart attack, we're gonna have to make some changes to how we're living. The heart attack guy has to change his diet, his exercise routine, how he handles stress. We too need to change what we're doing.

They're just habits. We can form healthier ones. Find other more nurturing ways to interact with this planet.

Collectively, we can identify with the folks in New Orleans. We've had dreams of sinking beneath waters. What are those dreams trying to tell us?

We know what we need to do. We dare not ignore these warnings.

Let us not kick ourselves as the climate collapses, saying we could have averted this disaster, but we went on with our usual lives instead.