Thursday, June 19, 2008

Flooding Follows The Human

The old world in the east has lost most of its trees . By comparison the new world in the west still has a plentiful amount. The reason for the difference, according to anthropoligists, is that man settled in the east before migrating to the west. And so the trees were cut and the rivers were channelled and diverted. The recent flooding in China, Burma, India and Southeast Asia are the results of denuded land and the flood plains of rivers being inhabited with surplus people.

Our own Midwest is now experincing the same dynamic. The ongoing channelling of the Mississippi River , draining of wetlands , clearing of the Great Plains of natural grasses for crops and housing developments in flood plains have all contrbuted to the "500 year floods". The scourge of surplus humanity leaves its footprint in ever closer and closer high water marks.

Too, too many people.

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