The old people among us may remember when frogs and toads were commonplace, even in our backyards. They seem to have disappeared. And with their disappearance we have more mosquitoes that even seem to survive the winters, which, if you hadn’t noticed, are getting warmer. Even the far north is experiencing less snow. Yes, it’s snowing in Alaska and the Nordic countries, but the snow is late this year.
Remember that old song, “Over the river and through the woods,” originally an 1844 Thanksgiving poem, with the words, “the white and drifted snow?” That snow is becoming increasingly rare. We humans are more dependent on amphibians and other animals like bats than we realize. As our biodiversity loss accelerates, we use more poisons that can kill us.
There is hope, however, as COP30 has now made an agreement to bring the majority of the world’s countries under certain agreements, such as decarbonizing steel. The EU has ratified certain green agreements. But where is the US? Not there and bullying shipping companies into maintaining fossil fuels. Will the know-nothings win? It’s up to us to bring the US back into a position of leadership before it’s too late.
Prayer for the Day
You created the world as a garden, O God,
But we are turning it into a wasteland;
As our leaders bow to corporate money,
Our future hangs in the balance.
Move us beyond desperation into action,
Restoring what we have destroyed.
In the name of the One who is our Gardener,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Every tenth of a degree has ramifications on communities, on ecosystems around the world. It is particularly important for those vulnerable communities and ecosystems that are already being impacted.
Dr. Adelle Thomas, biologist, National Resources Defense Council
Biodiversity in ecosystems plays an important role in supporting human welfare, including regulating the transmission of infectious diseases.…. Even though amphibians are known to affect natural food webs—including mosquitoes that transmit human diseases—the human health impacts connected to their massive decline have received little attention.
Michael Springborn, et al, in Environmental Research Letter, a scientific journal
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to ill it and keep it.
Genesis 2:15