SOME WORLD GEOLOGISTS/GEOPHYSICISTS/SEISMOLOGISTS/POLITICAL LEADERS ARE TO BLAME OVER THE JAPANESE TRIPLE ECOLOGICAL TRAGEDY
By Professor Boniface Egboka, PhD, FAS, FNMGS. FNAH, Consultant Environmental Hydrogeologiest, Dept. of Geological Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria, E-mail: [email protected]
As I watched the recent 9.0 Richter Scale earthquake-and-tsunami Armageddon that occurred in Japan in the CNN, BBC, SkyNEWS, CHANNELS TV, NTA!, AIT etc. I felt depressed over the tragedy of unimaginable proportions that ought to have been predicted by Geologists, Geophysicists, Seismologists and the political leaders who might have been informed or advised accordingly. Is it not possible that this tragedy could have been predicted? Could the potential areas for these disasters not to have been identified? Could the ignorant political leaders not to have been properly-advised for the people to avoid urbanization or constructions of nuclear power plants within such threatening areas? The Geologic/Geomorphic/seismic/structural maps of the land-surfaces and the ocean floors of most parts of the world are known; the subsurface areas of the lands and the ocean floors down to the deepest parts of the earth, the mantle where the magma resides, are known to any well-trained Geologist, Geophysicist, Seismologist or Volcanologist! Such experts are in quantum worldwide. Why do we ignore the knowledge of these experts or do we prefer to get explanations when the calamity occurs instead of having preventive measures? Why are earth scientists, worldwide, preferring to keep silent why a mess is being made by political leaders in the gradual destruction of the world when they can give and enforce their advice? I am compelled to write this because the potential for a repeat occurrence of the Japanese mortal mass-experience or other similar Geologic situations around the world stares us on the face. I had repeatedly-stated this issue to colleagues at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria, over the years. Many a time, professional/experts have advised government officials/politicians on the potential negative impacts of some development projects on an ecosystem; they hardly listen to such much needed advice. We have repeatedly warned on the negative impacts of deforestation and its negative impacts on desertification; the unplanned urban/estate development, nationwide, and the emergence of destructive floods, soil and gully erosion and landslides; non-maintenance services on old bridges and their potentials for disastrous collapse; the extensive oil pollution and gas flaring in the petroleum region of the Niger Delta of Nigeria, etc.
I am, now, writing the same to the world as food for thought to whoever cares. It does not matter whether it happens before our eyes as in Japan now or it will happen many years to come when we may have gone; human and material losses will still be involved. When we talk of sustainable environment, it is not imagined, it is real. We know the implications of the geotectonic Subduction Zone around the world and the volcanic Ring of Fire in the notorious Asian-Pacific Region; they must not be taken for granted. I still believe professionals/experts can do much better than they are doing now. The lessons learned and earlier-documented for adequate geologic characterization and systematic integration into seismic design were well-documented following the Kobe and Kashiwazaki-Kariwa earthquakes, one is sad that these resulting scientific data may not have been fully-considered by the electric power company and the nuclear safety commission in the establishment of the new nuclear stations. Tsunami is a Japanese word whose disastrous implications are well-known by illiterate natives and even animals which take necessary precautions to escape its destructive consequences; the modern man should do better. In the many parts of the unstable environments of the world, government officials have rejected geologists’ recommendation for better earthquake source characterization as they scandalously set up nuclear plants in unstable environments. There is a culture of geologic and government technical management problems in many countries such as those that led to the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan as well as the hurricane Katrina catastrophe in the United States. Sometimes, professionals are not listened to despite all the honest efforts made to advise. At other times, experts are not firm in giving required professional advice either because of weakness of the mind or laissez-faire attitude or lack of political will or sheer gerrymandering. Even at worst scenario, people would sit and stare! Professionals in Earth Sciences recognize the fact that Geologic time/events take millions of years to develop and advise on events accordingly. On the other hand, non-experts and political leaders approach geological issues/challenges from the mindset of short-circuiting or quick-fix and one-time-off approach, sometimes laced-off with base corruptive tendencies in execution of development programmes. This, definitely, does not address these environmental challenges as the present and future generations, yet unborn, may become victims of such wrong decisions. The rate of plate movement at the plate boundaries and the Midoceanic Ridge are imperceptivity as slow as a few millimeters per decade. The ability to factor this rate into current decision-making process is very critical in the long-term prediction of Geologic hazards associated with such unstable environments.
Today, ecological disasters actively-exacerbated by anthropogenic forces, have become commonplace worldwide. The world oceans have been invaded by all sorts of ocean-ravaging characters and polluting vessels and ships, whether commercial or military. World commercial shipping lines from many nations indulge in extensive shipping activities that are hardly-well-coordinated; all sorts of submarines are undersea and scavenging; fishing and pollution of the sea are rampant; mining of minerals and drilling for petroleum/gas deposits go hand-in-hand; waste products, sometimes of toxic nature, are dumped into the oceans etc. Sometimes, there are clandestine tests by nuclear powers in the oceans; these threaten the oceanic environment. Despite several maritime laws prevailing, there are abuses and neglects for which nobody or nation is held liable or punished. The lower and upper atmosphere have also been invaded by all kinds of air-vessels for transportation and research. These major air-moving vessels set up many airwaves that may stressfully-impinge on the earth environment. Similar many threateningly-anthropogenic disaster-causing activities equally go-on on land unchecked worldwide. The numerous buildings and skyscrapers in urban centres and industrial concerns as well as vehicle and human traffics impose enormous stresses on the environment. We impose vertical structures of runways/airports, dams, bridges, railway lines, nuclear power plants, industries etc. without proper understanding or consideration of the subsurface structure. We pretend to be unaware of the potential vertical stresses from these human activities. We seem to ignore them to our potential peril. In Japan and all over the world, everyone is mourning!
Parts of the world vis-à-vis countries/towns/communities have different Geomorphic, Geologic and seismic characteristics that may make such environments stable or unstable. We have the Mid-Oceanic Ridge that forms a ring around the world within all the oceans; a ridge of earth-weakness where the earth is believed to be slowly-but opening-up, separating and widening for the formation of new continents. The molten rock called the magma while responding to earth movements, may spew out through this opening to form undersea volcanoes in the oceans as common in the Asian-Pacific Ring of Fire. Similarly on land, we have breaks in continuity geologically-called fractures/joints/faults/grabens, some of which may continue deep into the bowels of the earth. During sudden earth movements, volcanism may occur along these fault lines, whereby, magma may flow to the surface and form igneous rocks on land. Also it may also be found that parts of the lands have weak structural zones in continuity to the oceans where the earth is opening up into the land such as the Cameroon hinge line, the East African Rift valley system, the Mediterranean Sea etc. Many of the mountains in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas etc. have multiple fractures, faults etc. that can easily-be displaced and collapse under severe stress such as constructions, bombing etc. This Geologic/Geomorphic information has been mapped, described and made known, worldwide, but belligerents or ill-advised political leaders do not really-care to use them.
Today desertification, exacerbated by anthropogenic forces is commonplace in Australia, Africa etc. Flood disasters, landslides, soil and gully erosion ravage the land worldwide. Nigeria is a major victim of desertification, floods, soil and gully erosion and landslides in indescribable proportions. Recently flood disasters, earthquakes and landslides ravaged parts of South America, Indonesia, Europe and New Zealand. The former luscious-green Rainforest Belt of West Africa and the Congo Basin have been deforested up to 80%; so also have people deforested the great Amazon Basin of South America, leaving the lands open and threadbare to the vagaries of the inclement weather for major floods, soil and gully erosion and disastrous landslides! The mountainous regions of the Middle East of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine etc. have been endlessly-bombarded over the years in wars and battles; the European and Asiatic regions equally-suffered from severe bombardments during World War II; all these have their severe tolls on the underlying sedimentary and fractured hard rock Geologic Formations. Nothing goes for nothing under the sun; actions and reactions are equal and opposite; as we dabble into destabilizing the mother earth, she continuously-continues to re-establish herself, sometimes at our peril. The present bombardments in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc. on their mountains and caves will one day, rebound in earthquakes and land movements in normal cycle of natural readjustments. As a result of the outcomes of globalization, some earthlings may be adversely-affected in any parts of the world irrespective of wherever such a disaster occurs or wherever one comes from.
Why do political leaders fail to listen to scientific findings and fully-work with scientists to ensure the safety of their people and sustainability of the environment? Why do our scientists shy away from insisting that their advice be followed in governance; why cannot they insist on forcing their factual ideas to be heard and adhered to by political leaders and the governments? Why not even pursue such issues of indifference or intransigence by government leaders as far as the United Nations or the International Court of Justice at The Hague? Why must people be allowed to bomb areas with unstable or earthquake-platforms or set up nuclear power plants within or near such weak environments? Why are people and governments deaf to react appropriately to pre-warnings on earthquakes and tsunami-threats? Even during the ancient times or even in present-day rural communities, people followed natural warnings from such seismically-imposed land movements; the wild animals that sense the dangers run away; they are closely-ran-followed by the natives who may climb trees to escape tsunamis and their consequent destructions. There are even present-day scientific pre-warnings for earthquakes and tsunamis but people rarely-take them seriously as they should be. What of the massive estate developments that go on in flood- and wave-prone areas of the world when we ought to realize that these ecological problems occur in time-cycles that may be discernable? Even when people are warned to keep away, the warnings are ignored and governments do nothing.
The present Japanese disaster is too much to bear, particularly, when the people and government of Japan have been so kind and helpful to all peoples worldwide particularly the people of the developing countries. I feel very sad for them and pray that God receives the souls of the dead and bring comfort and solace to the living. It is not too late for the world to learn from the horrible Japanese triple ecological hazard experiences of earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear pollution/contamination combined; a slave who smiles while the head of another slave is being used to bury one of their masters must not forget that his own day may be near. No continent or country may be free from these major world disasters! The world scientists must strengthen their voices in forcefully-advising their government leaders; let there be a World Congress to deliberate on national and international disasters to fashion out monitoring and predictive tools for facing any future occurrences as well as putting in place appropriate and enforceable remedial measures to minimize potential ecological damages. Immediate actions should be taken to stop belligerency that may exacerbate the incidences of such ecological disasters locally and internationally including constructions of major structures in unstable platforms, earthquake- and tsunami-prone environments. Legal measures, national or international should be taken against defaulters or belligerents. We, now, live in a world of rapid economic changes and political/environmental upheaval. The curriculum on environmental education in use in many parts of the world lack basic/fundamental issues on Geology and Environmental Management; this requires a major review to cancel out this inadequacy in training and the consequent compounding of Geological understanding of the delicate issues of the total environment.