As many of us in the United States, myself included, have been closely following sour economic news here and in Europe, along with the seemingly growing “Occupy” movement, we must not forget that economic security is predicated on ecological security. Such security is lacking in large swaths of the world.
Take El Salvador for example, a country where I have lived and traveled. A tropical depression caused ten days of straight rains between October 10 and 19, dumping more than 55 inches of rain in the region over the span of a week. The country experienced some of the worst rains in its history, worse than those that accompanied Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The storm forced 50,000 people out of their homes, as well as causing 100 deaths, putting the country’s population further at risk.