Hell on Earth – being at odds with our natural environment comes at a tragic human cost

I came across this quote by American civil rights activist and writer Maya Angelou last week: “We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.”

At first glance it’s easy enough to dismiss her words as a mere poetic uttering, but after recent events that quite clearly reinforce that our climate is in crisis, their message and meaning have never been so urgent.

It was reported last weekend that the south of Greece was experiencing 82 wildfires as the country recorded its hottest day of the summer on Sunday, leading to the evacuation and displacement of thousands of people.

Before that, on 19 July, heavy monsoon rains caused a landslide in the north Indian village of Irshalwadi, resulting in the deaths of 27 people. With 57 people known to be still missing, rescue efforts were called off as further heavy rains fell.

It’s hard for most South Africans to imagine the resultant damage and trauma because we are not prone to such natural disasters. However, we are no strangers to loss and we understand the importance of standing together in times of great turmoil, as well as feeling a sense of responsibility to help where we can.

In previous years when one spoke of the climate crisis, most people had not yet seen and appreciated the human tragedy it would wreak on the world. But, perhaps more specifically, as Angelou’s quote reveals, how connected human actions are to Earth’s well-being. 

We cannot be joyful if we cannot breathe clean air and don’t have access to water. Or when we live on a planet facing one natural disaster after another that is of our doing as a result of not caring for one another and Earth.

Sadness and anger