For all the talk of what humankind

For all the talk of what humankind has done to cause destruction to the planet, we should not forget that nature itself is a powerful force, capable of doing damage on a huge scale. The greenhouse effect and the hole in the Ozone layer are indeed made worse by the industrialized society we live in. However, we must remember that there are certain species of plant and animal which, quite naturally, give off gases that are very harmful to the atmosphere. And only fifty years ago in London, hundreds of people died from the smog which hung over the River Thames. What's interesting here is that, yes, smoke and gases from industry, vehicles and fossil fuels were ingredients in this deadly mixture. The other vital ingredient, though, was the completely natural fog, and who would have thought that could be harmful ? In the early days of the industrial revolution, poets, painters and philosophers described how the polluted urban skies made them think of the end of the world. Well, towards the end of the nineteenth century, the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa nearly made it happen!
Thousands of tons of dust and ash were thrown into the air and, for years afterwards, there were red sunsets caused by the light filtering through this natural pollution. Remembering scientists' pet theory about the dinosaurs dying out because of a huge volcanic
eruption, v.*e were lucky that, humankind survived at this time. So, next time you look out from your garden or balcony and see a beautiful red sunset, think of the possibilities. It could be the result of our activities poisoning the air we breathe, or it might just be worth turning on the radio to check there haven't been any major eruptions lately!