Global Climate and Environmental changes are unfolding today alongside new and more-violent weather patterns in different parts of the world, leaving more people everywhere experiencing similar feelings of being overcome by Nature in ways that affect life and bring death in apparently irreversible ways – and like never before.
Europe is facing its hottest summer in living memory, with people in France, Germany and the UK doing any and every thing to stay cool in the burning heat — including people unable to swim drowning after jumping into open seas, private pools or public water parks.
In the process, millions of citizens are now learning that only 5% (five percent) of homes in Britain have air-conditioning as most were built to trap heat; and 90% of French families are finding their tin-roof homes actually trap the heat they’re running away from.
Floods and heatwaves, droughts and related crises are more destructive than ever in the Indo-Pacific and Asian regions, while El Nino and La Nina weather phenomena – which in the 1990s once reduced Guyana’s mighty Kaieteur Falls to a near trickle — are unfolding with predicted fury for the 2026 hurricane season, on both sides of The Atlantic.
Hurricanes are worse across the Caribbean today than ever, increasing in size, frequency and damage, while affecting more islands and territories from north to south, the latest being Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa in 2024 and 2025, respectively, that caused more harm to more Caribbean nations and people than ever.
Tropical storms have given way to full-blown Atlantic Hurricanes, with worsening earthquakes and volcano eruptions (in Montserrat and St. Vincent & The Grenadines).
Floods are more frequent and damaging in China, Pakistan and Afghanistan – and even Canada is warming-up in winter today, while snowstorms cause major travel and traffic delay across North America.
Changing weather patterns and Movements of Nature, combined with the accelerating climate change and environmental consequences like rising sea levels, lowering ground water levels and drier droughts, have been rocking the wider Caribbean region worse than ever.
But, as with the Haiti earthquake of 2010 that took between 220,000 and 310,000 lives (by government estimates) that which hit Venezuela on a holiday night on June 24, 2026 is sure to leave a long list of dead and injured victims in the rubble in La Guairá and other regions.
Venezuela’s last such major earthquake was recorded over 125 years ago — and the last in living memory dates back to 1967.
But Venezuela isn’t like it’s Caribbean and South American neighbours sharing the Caribbean Sea that have grown accustomed to annual hurricane seasons – and where hurricane and disaster preparedness mechanisms have existed historically, with annual preparedness exercises.
Comparatively safe from hurricanes and tropical storms, Venezuela has often dispatched voluntary medical and other teams to neighbouring Caribbean states in times of hurricane-related emergency.
Luckily, Venezuela does not sit on the tectonic plates associated with the so-called ‘Pacific Rim’, but this latest unprecedented natural phenomenon also came alongside the unprecedented accelerations in climate changes and weather patterns worldwide.
This is an era when winters are worsening and evidence of worsening climate change is forcing louder calls from the vulnerable Global South for consideration of ‘Loss and Damage’ claims in cases where climate change-related disasters occur.
But earthquakes are not considered ‘Man-made’ (or influenced by human activity) and instead treated by governments and insurance companies as ‘Acts of God’ — leaving the burdens of recovery on governments of affected states and people who lose relatives or homes left to the mercy of charity and voluntary assistance.
In fact, earthquakes happen every day, everywhere: according to AccuWeather, within the 24 hours that included the two Venezuela quakes (at 7.1 and 7.5 on the Richter Scale), others of major magnitude were also recorded in California (5.6), Japan (6.9), Papua New Guinea (5.4)—and many others at less-than 5.
Most aren’t felt by humans, but are sensed by birds and animals, thanks to their closer sensitivity to Nature’s weather warning signals.
Venezuela’s number of deaths keeps rising expectedly by the day and the emergency global response from near and far has seen Search & Rescue teams of all types flown and sent by sea to help in the task of pulling life out of rubble.
Like in Haiti 16 years ago, the world is watching with bated breath as good and bad news bring finality to restless families about persons lost and found.
Historically, international non-government emergencies agencies like Red Cross and Red Crescent have sprung into action in such disasters, assisted by regional and national emergency disaster agencies.
It’s usually left to governments that can to rush emergency equipment and supplies to affected nations, but taking care of affected populations is usually left to the government, which, whatever the nature of the disaster, is usually forced to react in panic — and according to available resources.
Such natural disasters (floods, droughts, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, etc.) normally can’t be predicted or prevented, but all usually depends on preparedness levels in a world where most people tend not to pay much attention to disaster warnings and panic when the event happens.
The combined effects of Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and general unwillingness of nations responsible for accelerating the decline of smaller and poorer nations and people continue to place the future of Humanity and Planet Earth in peril.
However, it’s the duty of governments and people everywhere, every day, to always plan and hope for the best, but also to forever be prepared for the worst, in a world where Mother Nature forever keeps her finger on the trigger, only to be pulled when Humanity takes her for granted, or natural tectonic convulsions take their toll — like in Venezuela.
The costly signs and warnings keep coming, so it’s time for Humankind to start taking them more seriously.
Why?
Because there’s no choice!