A burning issue in Alberta

The awesome power of nature to destroy, as well as enhance, our environment is evident from a massive wildfire in Canada that has forced 90,000 residents to flee Fort McMurray, in Alberta.

Covering roughly 200,000 acres, or about 10 times the size of Manhattan, the out-of-control blaze has burned down whole neighbourhoods in Canada’s energy heartland. Tinder-dry brushwood, low humidity, and searing winds left firefighting crews unable to stop the conflagration. Some environmentalists suspect that global warming might have played a part in the unusually dry-and-hot conditions.

Despite the assertion by Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae that “only God controls the weather”, he can see for himself the catastrophic results of extreme weather events closer to home, which point to global warming.

Five months to the day since Storm Desmond, the pumps are still running along the banks of the Shannon and communities in many areas of the midlands are still living with the aftermath of the storm.