India, Aug. 29 -- "A mango tree saved me," said a labourer who survived the devastating flash floods in Nepal that claimed several lives and left many missing. This short, profound statement exposes the human indifference that pushes the world to the brink today. We debated this crisis heatedly for years, but failed to read the writing on the wall.

And now it unfolds before our eyes. We are birthing a world of utter disaster, and the 'labour pains' are evident - violent earthquakes shake the world, disastrous floods inundate it, and wildfires and droughts rage elsewhere. Yet we ignore the message nature sends us. While affected communities await relief, we count numbers - the dead, the lost and the damaged.

And we knew this would come. ...