2019 April
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Not just Notre Dame, our Earth is also burning

View of Paris from Notre Dame Cathedral
View of Paris from Notre Dame Cathedral

Human beings are fascinating creatures full of paradoxes. When Notre Dame cathedral caught fire, French president announced the immediate reconstruction of the cathedral, people all over the world felt the pain and void of Paris, and millionaires pledged money for the reconstruction efforts. People were happy that the organ is not destroyed, the two towers still stand tall, and most of the art work is safe. Notre Dame is 700 years old. Our response to its burning has been quick and laudable. But what about our home, the planet Earth and its destruction?

 

We are plundering a planet that is 4.7 billion of years old. It took our planet more than 4 billion years to make trees. We are cutting them down without a second thought. Current Holocene epoch is pure luck. Human beings did nothing to arrive at such a stable climatic era. However we are doing everything to destabilize climate. How is it that we see beauty in Notre Dame and not in the forests, oceans, mountains, deserts, and all the diverse set of species that call our planet home? What will make us have the same level of pain and sense of urgency to rebuild our planet?