BY RICHARD TSAI 

Mon Feb 02, 2015

Perhaps 2014 is one of the deadliest years for the machines in the sky. Last year, the world saw a chain of flight disasters that claimed over twelve hundred lives. The appalling death toll is mainly contributed by the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine, as well as other major airplane crashes in Taiwan, Mali, and Iran. The casualties also include the latest victims from the most recent Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 plane crash. 

The downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which claimed all 298 passengers and crew on board, serves as a reminder to the world of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine that has already claimed 4707 lives, according to United Nations.

While Malaysia Airlines Flight 370’s whereabouts remains unknown to this day, investigators attributed many of this year’s plane accidents to poor weather. The CEO of AirAsia company pointed to weather as the main reason behind the crash of Flight 8501 that killed all 155 passengers and 7 crew on board on December 28th, 2014. As he spoke to the press, he also inferred that climate change might be responsible for this incident by stressing that “the weather is changing”

Although the founder and director of the Aviation Safety Network suggests 2014 being one of the safest years in terms of commercial plane accidents, last year’s plane accidents had become one of the deadliest in nearly a decade.

This year’s aviation fatalities suggests that climate change and the relentless conflicts in Europe and Middle East may have played an impact in these tragic events. As we enter 2015, you and I should discover our conscience and utilize our conscience in our lives as a way of becoming more aware of mankind’s impact to the global climate. In turn, we may ensure a safer ride in the sky for all of us.