Environmentalists constantly worry about man-made activity allegedly causing climate change. From a report of the Associated Press via Fox News about the ancient Yellowstone volcano and another such report about Indonesia's Krakatoa, however, we are again reminded how environmentalists unduly flatter the human race with tales of our power over the environment.
Two of the world's historic super volcanoes, Yellowstone and Krakatoa, have recently shown signs of activity which could result in eruptions. Yellowstone has been rising at 3 inches per year over the last three years--three times normal. While the Yellowstone report quotes a geologist who reassures us that a Yellowstone eruption does not appear imminent (which is a good thing, because a massive eruption could devastate the entire North American continent) , the Krakatoa eruption appears imminent:
Krakatoa's massive 1883 blast, heard nearly 2,000 miles away in Australia, sent pyroclastic surges of gas and burning ash which, combined with a tsunami, wiped out 165 villages and killed at least 36,417 people.
Yellowstone and Krakatoa remind us of man's somewhat paltry role in the world's environmental destiny.