Human in Proportion

Biblical. Why is this word trotted out every time there is a disastrous natural event? The implication is that somehow God is behind all this, as if the deity is behind forest fires and tornadoes and deluges which impact human beings. Why don't we drop the "biblical" and at least explore the possibility that humans have an impact on climate and the severe events which seem to be more common. There is near scientific consensus on human-induced climate change, so blaming God just doesn't seem fair or prudent. These are likely unnatural events.

I am saddened by what has happened in both Colorado and New Mexico, two states I have visited in recent years. I have driven through some of the valleys which have been washed out and can understand how abnormally high rainfall levels would create havoc.

A response to the severe flooding in Colorado, which brought three quarters of a year's rain in six days is helpful:

The amount of precipitation isn’t the only climate change-related impact that should be considered; there are other contributing factors that may be making this massive flood event even more dangerous. Subhankar Banerjee writes for ClimateStoryTellers about the connection between climate change, forest health, wildfires, and floods:

In the last decade and a half Colorado (and its neighbor New Mexico) has gone through three major assaults—massive tree deaths, massive wildfires, and now massive floods—each in turn has been called “the worst natural disaster” the region has seen. Each in turn has also made the next one worse—millions of dead trees made the wildfires worse, and we are now learning that the wildfires are making the floods worse.

Why do we have such trouble "owning up" to the effects of our activities as humans? Don't you wonder why we still use a word like biblical in our secular societies?