WAS the tsunami that ripped into South East Asia two weeks ago a natural phenomenon?
Greenpeace says it was no more natural than a plastic Christmas tree, and many experts concur. The argument is that it was exactly in line with the main predicted consequence of global warming and climate change (propelled by mankinds pollution of the atmosphere) that there are going to be more frequent and increasingly severe weather events. While some scientists would disagree on the causes of the tsunami, natural or not, every environmentalist and scientist would concur with the findings that are now emerging: the decades of abuse of regional coastal ecosystems was what pushed the deaths and damage toll so high. A World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report says places with healthy coastal ecosystems, especially coral reefs and mangroves, were far less badly hit by the tsunami than places where the reefs were damaged and the mangroves replaced by beachfront hotels and prawn farms. Mangroves, amazing inter-tidal forests, act as natural shock absorbers, soaking up destructive wave energy
