13 2017 Strange New World<\/p>\n
Strange New World
\nby Paul Robert Sanford<\/p>\n
In the world of tomorrow
\nthe oceans became warmer by two degrees Celsius.
\nGlaciers melted, and rivers of water ran into the sea.
\nThe seas rose several inches,
\njust enough to cover some island nations
\nand flood the lowlands all over the world.<\/p>\n
But that wasn\u2019t the most dramatic problem.
\nThe warmer oceans gave off more water vapor
\ninto the air, where it traveled over the land and cooled,
\npouring down onto specific locations with unprecedented levels.
\nOne in a thousand year rainstorms began to flood new
\nareas that had never flooded before.
\nAfter the heavy rains, the air was depleted and there were droughts.<\/p>\n
Tropical storms became more powerful
\nbecause of the higher temperatures and the additional moisture,
\nand reached hurricane intensity more often,
\nwashing great waves over coastal cities,
\nchanging the coastline by washing soil and sand out to sea.<\/p>\n
Whole populations moved, but had nowhere to go.
\nThe amount of available fertile land shrank.
\nFamine killed millions, and disease that followed millions more.<\/p>\n
Governments changed.
\nToo frightened to face the reality of what was happening,
\npeople voted for whomever would give them some kind of false hope.
\nSoon a powerful minority banded together to demand proof-
\nproof the seas were rising, proof the temperature was rising,
\nbut more important, proof that something could be done about it.<\/p>\n
After all, they argued, the Creator God still held the earth in His hand,
\nand his unknown will controlled our destinies.
\nNothing mere humans could do would change the world one way or another,
\nbecause the promise was given with the rainbow that God would not again
\ndestroy the world by flood.<\/p>\n
And so, humanity, not God, wreaked a final judgment on themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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