Gone! Poof!

Posted on by under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Social commentary

This is Greenville, California, just a few short weeks ago …

This is Greenville, California, today …

Quite a change, yes?  A whole town … gone.  What you are seeing is the devastation left behind by the Dixie fire, now listed as the state’s 2nd largest fire in California’s history.  What you are seeing is a result of the coal and oil industries and their purchased members of Congress who have blocked efforts to switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources.  What you are seeing is the result of centuries of wanton disregard for our forests, our wetlands, our natural resources.  What you are seeing is the destruction of life on planet earth by … well, the human inhabitants of planet earth … yes, YOU and ME.

To date, 361,000 acres have been laid to waste by the Dixie fire.  361,000 acres!!!  Don’t look away, don’t get that glazed look in your eyes … this is … this is our planet, my friends!!!  These are trees, the wildlife that live within and around the trees, GONE!  DEAD!!!  People have died, homes and lives have been destroyed!  And as of yesterday, it was only 21% contained, meaning that more trees, more wildlife will die, more homes and people’s lives will be destroyed.

Today is August 9th.  The Dixie fire started on July 13th, nearly one month ago, and is still burning out of control, devouring and destroying everything and everyone in its path.  And this is not the only such fire, though it is the largest today.  California and Oregon are on fire, parts of Greece and Turkey are afire.  The world is literally burning around us, while we drive our gas-guzzling SUVs one mile or less to the trash dumpster, while we keep our thermostats set at a comfortable 70°, and while we plan our vacations … to fly to the Grand Canyon … if it isn’t on fire, that is.

Someday perhaps scientists will be able to estimate just how many lions, bears, wolves, condors and other critters died this year as a result of our greed and arrogance, but for now, suffice it to say that humans have single-handedly brought about the extinction of many species with their superiority complex, with their ignorance of the way nature works, and with their belief that their happiness is tantamount to all else.

Look at those before and after pictures again.  Imagine that one of those homes was once yours, imagine that you lost every single damn thing you ever owned, including the pets with whom you shared your life.  If you can, look at those pictures, imagine the people … the population of Greenville was, at last count, just over 1,000 … now without homes, without … anything.  😔

48 thoughts on “Gone! Poof!”

  1. The pictures could just as easily have been Lytton, BC, in Canada. À récent wildfire leveled 90% of that town, and took two lives, if I remember right. And it could have easily been High Level, AB. two years ago. That”s the town I live in. But for a lucky change in wind direction my home would have gone up in flames.
    Climate change is killing our world, the evidence is on display everywhere, yet some people don’t give a damn! Money is more important than life, or the planet. Will we never learn?

    Liked by 1 person

    • I did hear that there were wildfires in Canada again this year, but forgot to ask if they were near you & Gail. Keep safe, my friend. As to your last question … no, apparently we will always be greedy, arrogant, selfish beings who will, by the end of this century, have caused our own extinction.

      Like

      • BC is aflame, has one fire near the size of the Dixie fire. Has been out of control for over a month, plus more than 250 others. At the moment Alberta is about average. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are higher than normal. Last I heard Ontario and Quebec are having lots of fires. Atlantic Canada must be not bad, I have heard nothing. The Far North is also silent. Nothing within 500 miles of us right now. Hope it stays that way.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. The scenes of devastation are heartbreaking. For me what’s worse is the silence where there should be children playing but with the risk of fires, maybe they won’t ever build there again. We have to stop calling it Global Warming or people think it;’s just a little extra summer. How about Global Devastation and your family dies out. Maybe people will think of their grandchildren then. No more half hearted efforts, it’s going beyond that now. All out effort to save the forests and keep coal and oil in the ground.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 3 people

    • They are heartbreaking, and this is only one town of many where the same scenes can be seen. Yes, the silence of the children is … tragic. But, if we don’t start acting like responsible people soon, if our governments don’t take the latest IPCC report to heart, by the end of this decade, these towns may become our towns, the devastation might be right under our noses. I’m with you … leave the damn coal and oil and gas in the ground. Let’s put human LIVES ahead of human CONVENIENCES.
      Cwtch

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Cali is a sunshine state, no? Why didn’t I see any solar panels on the roofs of all the houses? Even here in piss-poor South Africa more and more people are getting solar power setups installed.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Because so many countries are so used to having all the electricity at their fingertips they forget that it has to be produced somewhere to get it to them. They flick a switch, it turns on. They flick the switch again, it turns off. They are in control–until it is not there anymore. Oh, electricity isn’t natural? Who knew?
      I enjoy imagining what will happen to our civilization when the electricity stops coming because the planet can no longer be used to produce it. In case you don’t know me, I, along with Jill, think the human race needs to go extinct to preserve the rest of life on this planet, if it is not already doomed by what we have done.
      Yeah, we’ré smart enough to prevent it, but we don’t have the will to try.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Southern California is known for being warm and sunny, Northern California is more mild with more rain, etc. As for your question, though … I don’t know the answer. Solar energy has struggled long and hard to gain trust here, and the past 4 years under Trump didn’t help. I hope to see it take off in the near future, especially in light of the latest IPCC report released yesterday.

      Liked by 1 person

      • They do NOT. Trust me. My own sister-in-law and her husband who have two grown children- not sure if there are any grandkids (we don’t even communicate with them any longer) actually said it out loud once. We were driving through Austin taking them sight seeing when we lived there and the conversation about the bats’ preservation and the aquifer protection came up. She laughed and said, “Well we don’t care what happens years from now. We’ll be gone by then.” They also put their hands over their hearts every time George Bush’s name gets mentioned. Reagan is their ultimate ‘hero’. I shudder to think of how they must worship the ‘other guy’.

        Liked by 3 people

    • Yep … in most every country ’round the globe. Is it fixable? According to the latest IPCC report … maybe, maybe not. If we don’t act NOW, then no, it isn’t fixable and our children/grandchildren will pay the price for our perfidy. Sigh. Hugs, dear friend.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Jill, this is a sad result from a problem that will only get worse. We humans have an arrogance about trying to control nature, yet we are destined to ruin it. We are well behind the eight ball on dealing with climate change. Keith

    Liked by 3 people

    • The latest IPCC report, issued yesterday, is a testament to the fact that if we don’t act NOW, it will be too late. The earth will burn and flood while we don our rosy-coloured glasses and pretend that nothing is amiss. Humans are arrogant … and greedy. And we will fight to the death to defend our right not to wear a mask, while allowing the fossil fuel industry to destroy this planet, to doom the futures of our grandchildren. In the battle of man vs nature, nature will win … every time. Sigh.

      Liked by 2 people

  11. “Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys Nature. Unaware that this Nature that he’s destroying is this God he’s worshiping.” – Hubert Reeves. Reeves is an illustrious 89 year old Canadian-born astrophysicist and active environmentalist. He is known for popularizing astronomy and has been called “the poet of the stars”…and also has an asteroid named in his honor. Amongst his notable published books is an awesome one that I came across in 2014 and purchased for a newborn boy, “The Universe Explained to My Grandchildren”, is suitable for “children” of all ages. One last fitting quote by Reeves : “We’re at war with Nature. If we win, we’re lost.” Thank-you!

    Liked by 4 people

    • ELLEN!!! It’s ELLEN!!! She’s Baaaaaacccckkk! HOORAY! Damn, but I have missed you, woman! Where you been???

      That quote by Hubert Reeves, though I had never heard it before, is so apt … so very apt!

      Gee … I wonder who that newborn boy might have been? My favourite young kiddo, by any chance? I will definitely check that book out and more than likely buy it on the spot. Yes, my dear friend, we ARE at war with nature, and nature holds all the aces in this war. I would love to say I hope that humans will wake up and do the right thing, but … I’m pretty sure they won’t. Sigh. Love you, dear Ellen!!! WHAK!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. It is unbearable and though we say people are more important than possessions, our homes are our sanctuary, our memories and our neighbourhood is our history. I can’t imagine losing everything like that, a whole population with nothing. Global warming is not just more summer – it is worse than any of us imagined.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Yes, people ARE more important than possessions, but … our memories, our lives, are wrapped up in pictures and our homes. This is a tragedy on a scale that is … simply unimaginable. And worse yet, it is likely to get only worse with each passing year if we don’t DO something! Sigh. We have met the enemy … and he is us.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I “liked” this only because the reasons behind the fires need to be repeatedly brought to our attention. Otherwise, my heart grieves for those who lost not just their home, but memories as well.

    Liked by 6 people

  18. Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News and commented:
    To date, 361,000 acres have been laid to waste by the Dixie fire. 361,000 acres!!! Don’t look away, don’t get that glazed look in your eyes … this is … this is our planet, my friends!!! These are trees, the wildlife that live within and around the trees, GONE! DEAD!!! People have died, homes and lives have been destroyed! And as of yesterday, it was only 21% contained, meaning that more trees, more wildlife will die, more homes and people’s lives will be destroyed.

    Liked by 4 people

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