Cyclone Gabrielle has left at least 11 people dead after making landfall in New Zealand in mid-February.
Also in February, wildfires raged through Chile for more than two and a half weeks. Dozens are dead and many more injured, and even more have been left without homes.
Two tropical cyclones in one month have left many parts of Madagascar destroyed. These storms have claimed the lives of more than 33 people so far.
Meanwhile, recent research has revealed that the Thwaites, otherwise known as “Doomsday,” Glacier, is melting faster than previously thought. The melting of this giant Antarctic ice sheet could raise sea levels by as much as two feet on its own. However, its disappearance will likely cause other nearby glaciers to melt more quickly as well, potentially causing an additional 10 feet in sea level rise.
While many of these disasters can be terrifying, they are not surprising. Global heating is seriously affecting temperatures and other weather in the Southern Hemisphere just as it is in the Northern Hemisphere. And these effects will continue to multiply as warming temperatures cause stronger ENSO (El Nino/La Nina) events, which will in turn continue to increase the speed at which ice melts.
All around the world, poor and working-class people are the ones paying the price for the actions of global capitalism as it continues to burn fossil fuels in its endless drive for profit.
