Katrina

In case you didn’t read about it, the Hurricane Katrina story contained an example of the Gaian principle of “It’s easy to see what the wind is doing to the tree. It’s harder to see what the tree is doing to the wind.” Historically, any storm surge in the Delta region has to push through miles of marshland which both absorbs and slows much of the surging energy. In one estimate I read, every three miles of marshland the storm surge must push through reduces the storm surge by one foot. Human alteration of the Delta eliminated much of this energy-absorbing marshland and so more of the surge reached New Orleans. We keep assuming the environment is a given, not realizing that life alters the environment. Our “given” environment was created by and is sustained by life.