Every year, an alarming increase in incidents of rising sea levels, increasing average rainfall measurements, violent hurricanes, prolonged droughts and heavy snow fall have been documented and observed not only in the United States but all throughout the world. Calamities attributed to Global Warming, a term first coined by oceanographer Wallace Smith Broecker in 1975, to describe the continued increase in global temperatures, observed since the mid 20th century.
These weather disturbances brought about by climate change have destroyed billions of dollars in valuable properties and infrastructure, affecting human lives in devastating ways. But we humans aren’t the innocent victims here. We are but guilty casualties to our own doings.
During the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, animals, including house hold pets, fell victim to the massive floods brought about by the extremely destructive and deadly Category 5 hurricane that hit the U.S. Gulf Coast. It is believed that around 40% of domesticated animals that were abandoned, perished during the disaster.
So why are animals the innocent victims?
According to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 2013, Global Warming and its effects are “dominantly and extremely-likely, caused by human influence since changes were observed in the mid 20th century…of which greenhouse gases as the most influential.” This means that the violent environmental calamites are consequences of man’s irresponsible stewardship of the planet and because of that, poor animals become mere collateral damage.
Today in 2018, the California Wildfires, a string of wildfires that started in February, with fires still raging in other counties as of writing, is one of the most recent and presently occurring disasters caused by climate change with more than 1,000,000 acres incinerated. The prolonged dry season combined with extreme atmospheric conditions such as strong winds and the increase in dead-tree fuel, has made the risk for such fires increase over the years.
In one particular fire in Solano County, animals were the almost-victims if it not for the heroic police officers of Vacaville Police Department.
On August 13, 2018, dramatic bodycam footage of police officer Carly Stone of the Vacaville Police, was posted by Abc7news.com., showing her, police officers and civilian volunteers rushing to save animals inside the SPCA facility in Solano County. With little or no time to spare, the officers and good Samaritans risked their lives to make sure that the animals, were brought to safety away from the raging flames.
66 dogs and cats, including a python, were rescued that day.
66 Innocent victims almost losing their lives in yet another calamity brought about by Global Warming, a sad phenomenon that only man can be blamed for.
