Lest We Blame Others

Somewhere recently I read the story of how the writer had awakened to his role in the Exxon Valdez oil spill, considered to be one of the most devastating man-made environmental disasters ever to occur at sea. The writer of the story had flown to Europe to attend a conference for his work. He had gone for dinner at a nearby restaurant where he was having a drink while waiting for a table. On the television over the bar, he saw the news report that the Exxon Valdez had run aground in Alaska and of how her oil was rapidly spilling out into the remote and pristine Prince William Sound.

The news reporter said it was reported that the captain had been drinking and left the ship in the control of a third mate and that this was believed to have been the cause of the shipping disaster. But the writer, looking in the mirror over the bar, looked into his own eyes and saw only himself. And he realized that he had also contributed to this disaster.

He had flown to Europe in a plane powered by petroleum. Every day he drove alone in his car to the office where he worked. Many of the products he purchased were petroleum based and all were delivered to the store in trucks run on petroleum. As he gazed into his own eyes in that mirror above the bar, he found that he was to blame as well. If he did not fly, drive, and consume so much then Exxon and the other oil companies wouldn't be transporting so much petroleum and increasing the risk for such terrible tragedies.

This story came back to me when I read about the bush fires earlier this month in Victoria, Australia. There were reports of arsonists having started some of the fires in which 210 people have now died, uncountable animals were burned to death or severely injured and hectares burned. Arsonists, drought, almost no rain in the last few months, record-breaking temperatures were all cited as possible causes, but the very real possibility of arsonists seemed to catch much of the public's attention. One man who was arrested as a possible arsonist had to be moved to another location for his own safety. People were understandably shocked and infuriated that human beings could have deliberately set some of the fires. Then on February 20th, ABC News, Australia, reported  that "the Climate Institute and firefighters say Victoria's blazes were the result of climate change."

There have always been mentally-unbalanced people who set fires, but this time it was different. This time there was a twelve-year drought that resulted in the highest fire risk rating recorded in Victoria, if not Australia.

It wasn't just arsonists. It wasn't just bush fires as usual in Australia. It wasn't just a freak coming together of high winds and little rain.

It was us. Every one of us. Every one of us who flies or drives or takes a train. Every one of us who uses electricity to heat or cool their home, who eats meat or dairy products produced on a factory farm, who buys toys and clothing and technological marvels made somewhere else, who shops at a supermarket and buys food that has traveled an average of 1500-2000 miles to get to the store. Every one of us who consumes more than our fair share.

We have each contributed to Black Saturday.

We are each to blame.