Unbalanced: Earth Day 2020

by

Pepper Bauer

The fiery, burnt orange disk peeked sluggishly above the horizon. The bloated sun passed through the clouds and left a path of fantastic color. Smoke particles in the air caught and reflected its rays, enveloping the Eastern sky in an eye searing inferno. Dawn was born; the labor an awesome display of pyrotechnics.

People awake early enough to observe the sunrise found it a welcome relief, despite its hellish appearance. For the first time in two months the staccato sound of rain drumming on their roofs hadn't greeted them in the morning. The mind numbing rhythm of water pouring down day after day, was like some ancient Chinese water torture. No one could stand it any more.

Rivers swelled so far out of their banks they were creating new paths. Lakes, streams, and farm ponds rose to record levels and destroyed billions of dollars worth of property. In the United States alone, over a million people had been killed; countless others injured and missing.

The deadly phenomenon was global. The entire earth was experiencing a natural disaster of incredible magnitude. The deserts of the world were no longer dry; ecology and livelihoods erased. There were plagues and deaths from unclean water and food shortages. Disease bearing insects were flourishing. Flammable substances leaked in the flooded areas and caused explosions that scattered death for miles. This left many areas resembling war zones. Many thought it was the end of the world.

The governments of the world agreed to try and suppress the "prophets of doom". Leaders made plans to launch full scale propaganda efforts aimed at educating the public with scientific theories explaining the freakish weather. Hopefully this would convince them that the devastation wouldn't last forever, and keep a lid on civil unrest. Confident announcers, inane smiles plastered on their faces, appeared on television ceaselessly. They attempted to soothe the masses by explaining that pollution had caused the world wide deluge; not the supernatural or the divine.

Excess smoke and particulate matter in the atmosphere provided increased nuclei for water vapor to form around and condense. If that factor combined with the right climatic conditions, precipitation occurred. Lots of it.

Weather experts with graphs and charts permeated the air waves, assuring everyone that once the rain cleansed the skies normal weather would reappear.

Not all scientists agreed with the government theorists. Some ecologists and meteorologists dampened the optimistic reports by stating that the damage done to the atmosphere was beyond repair. Earth would never again regain its past climate. Evolution had occurred. The biosphere changed, despite nature's attempts to cure the effects of mankind's blatant disregard for the environment. In defiance of all the evidence to the contrary, government propagandists assured the public that when a day dawned without rain; the siege would be over.

Finally. The promised day dawned. Masses frolicked in the streets in massive Mardi Gras style. A few pessimistic individuals still tried to dampen the party by pointing out that the sunrise didn't exactly hint of clear skies. The frenzied world wide celebration preparations drowned out their feeble protests. Revelers packed bars, churches and restaurants. Street parties sprang up everywhere. Every major metropolitan area of the world hosted lavish fireworks displays. Governments, making massive use of the media, declared national holidays.

Night fell, proceeded by magnificent sunsets. The parties raged on. Darkness flowed into dawn. The celebrations exhausted themselves; the celebrants drug themselves home to rest. Some individuals, possessing more enthusiasm than stamina, stumbled into makeshift beds on the streets and park benches of the cities.

Upturned faces soon became wet as the rains began again all over the world.