Europe: a continent at risk of apocalypse, the most dangerous continent on the planet. That’s what some analysts are saying after the terrible flooding that hit Spain, particularly the Valencia region. In these cases generally, I have little desire to be controversial, too much respect for the victims, too many victims, 140 at the time of writing, but so many are still missing. As they say, very, but very provisional budget. Then the tragic images, the cars piled up on a road as if they were small objects, toys, but tragic toys with people found dead inside. And then the despair, the tales and extraordinary stories, that of a woman who refuses to be caught, submerged in mud almost up to her head with her cat and dog, but is rescued at the last by a brave rescuer.
But beyond the epic of these situations and emergencies, we Italians, with our civil defense, are first in the world in skill and generosity, and there is some point to be made. First-because then, of course, comparisons were made in Italy with Emilia Romagna, which was hit four times in one year by equally tragic floods, little more, little less, little matters in these cases-with the blame being placed on politics. In Spain, the right-wing administration of that region is under indictment; in Italy, the left blames the center-right government, which then blames the historically left-wing regional administration of Emilia Romagna.
I say there is no scientific data to say that Europe is the most dangerous continent in the world, but there is now enough data to stop being climate change deniers. These are increasingly unpredictable episodes, increasingly rapid, increasingly violent and increasingly with disastrous consequences. And so it is necessary, in order to make sure that we have fewer casualties, less destruction, less things lost, to have a different vision of prevention.
Here it is not the left or the right that counts, but it is still the great politics that puts together its intelligence and its skills to give real support to the citizens. Then, of course, we will have to change our view of the environment, of the maintenance of the environment and what is the cementing, of what is the human habitation with respect to our hydrogeological world. But this is a cultural revolution, let’s say, that will have to be done quickly, but it will take longer than these water bombs with speed are affecting, unfortunately, people and things.
The article Apocalyptic and integrated comes from TheNewyorker.
