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A Stormy Season
Author: BobR
Date: 09/12/2008 12:32:05
With our quadrennial presidential election just weeks away, the candidates have been at the eye of the storm, while campaign advisers, 527s and the media swirl around the periphery. The victims of the destructive hot air have been the truth, common sense, and common decency.
The only interruptions have been the hurricanes which - this year - seem to be coming more frequently and more brutal, almost as if to mimic the maelstrom which is the campaign circus. Hurricane Ike seems to targeting Galveston, TX which was submerged by a hurricane 108 years ago. There are, however, more scientific explanations, and none of them bode well for residents near the Caribbean.
My sister lives in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans (closer to Baton Rouge). She survived Katrina without much difficulty because it passed about 70 miles to the east of her. Gustav, however, passed about 15 miles to the west of her. As you may know, the eastern side of the hurricane is always worse, because it is being fed by warmer waters. She lost power for 3 days and had some minor structural damage to her house from the wind.
Her husband went to get some supplies that were being handed out to those in need. He only asked for a few items, but they seemed to not listen and tossed all kinds of supplies into his truck (such as bottled water). One might be encouraged by their enthusiasm and the thought that they "got it right" this time after the disastrous relief effort for Katrina, but there's also the realization that the supplies he got which he didn't need were effectively denied to someone that really DID need them.
Relief efforts will likely be a growing concern in this and future seasons. The current studies show that while warmer water may not necessarily create more hurricanes, it can create stronger hurricanes:
Conservatives have selfishly denied that global warming exists or - if it does - is not the result of mankind's actions, nor do we have the power to arrest it. These denials are likely due to their desire to maintain their destructive lifestyles, nor "cave in" to foreign countries' "demands". However, the financial fallout and increased national security risks from these destructive storms may be the key to changing their tune:
This should amplify the point of just how important it is that we elect a president, vice-president, senators, and congresspeople that understand the environmental crisis we face, and are willing to do something about it. While the hurricane season is a handy metaphor for our political season, the two are entwined in a cause/effect danse macabre. Despite the focus on jobs and the economy, damage due to the effects of global warming will further devastate our economy, illustrating yet another reason why this election is so critical.
Bonus Click: See Gina Gershon satirize Sarah Palin. Warning: some language may not be work-safe (or child-safe).
The only interruptions have been the hurricanes which - this year - seem to be coming more frequently and more brutal, almost as if to mimic the maelstrom which is the campaign circus. Hurricane Ike seems to targeting Galveston, TX which was submerged by a hurricane 108 years ago. There are, however, more scientific explanations, and none of them bode well for residents near the Caribbean.
My sister lives in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans (closer to Baton Rouge). She survived Katrina without much difficulty because it passed about 70 miles to the east of her. Gustav, however, passed about 15 miles to the west of her. As you may know, the eastern side of the hurricane is always worse, because it is being fed by warmer waters. She lost power for 3 days and had some minor structural damage to her house from the wind.
Her husband went to get some supplies that were being handed out to those in need. He only asked for a few items, but they seemed to not listen and tossed all kinds of supplies into his truck (such as bottled water). One might be encouraged by their enthusiasm and the thought that they "got it right" this time after the disastrous relief effort for Katrina, but there's also the realization that the supplies he got which he didn't need were effectively denied to someone that really DID need them.
Relief efforts will likely be a growing concern in this and future seasons. The current studies show that while warmer water may not necessarily create more hurricanes, it can create stronger hurricanes:
Global warming is affecting the intensity of Atlantic hurricanes, according to a new study by a university professor in Florida who says his research provides the first direct link between climate change and storm strength.
James Elsner of Florida State University said he set out to perform a statistical analysis of the two theories in a raging debate within the scientific community: Whether recent intense hurricanes are the result of climate change or natural ocean warming and cooling cycles.
"Is the atmosphere forcing the ocean or the ocean forcing the atmosphere?" Elsner asked.
The issue has a wide-ranging impact on insurance companies, municipal planners, some 50 million residents of hurricane-prone US coastal communities and millions of others in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean islands.
...
Atlantic hurricanes draw their energy from the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
He found that average air temperatures during hurricane season between June and November were useful in predicting sea surface temperatures, but not the other way around.
"It appears that atmospheric warming comes before sea warming," he said, indicating that hurricane damage will be likely to continue increasing because of greenhouse warming.
...
But a growing body of research indicates human-induced global warming -- driven by heat-trapping gases in air pollution from cars and factories -- could be heating sea water, which in turn fuels stronger hurricanes.
Conservatives have selfishly denied that global warming exists or - if it does - is not the result of mankind's actions, nor do we have the power to arrest it. These denials are likely due to their desire to maintain their destructive lifestyles, nor "cave in" to foreign countries' "demands". However, the financial fallout and increased national security risks from these destructive storms may be the key to changing their tune:
A new draft report from the United States' top intelligence analyst forecasts future security threats to the U.S. and other nations from climate change, as well as declining influence of the U.S. on world affairs. The report is intended to brief the new U.S. president early next year on the security outlook for the next 15 years, and parts of the assessment may sound familiar to environmentalists and other climate watchers since the U.S. intelligence community is apparently up on its climate science. The report predicts that climate change will cause drought and food shortages and exacerbate freshwater supplies around the globe; it will also likely cause dustbowl conditions in the U.S. Southwest making the area hostile to agriculture. For developing countries, climate change "could be the straw that breaks the camel's back," leading to political and humanitarian crises and spurring mass migrations, said report author Thomas Fingar. The new report's climate conclusions are in line with three other climate-change security assessments also released this year from the U.S., Britain, and the European Union.
This should amplify the point of just how important it is that we elect a president, vice-president, senators, and congresspeople that understand the environmental crisis we face, and are willing to do something about it. While the hurricane season is a handy metaphor for our political season, the two are entwined in a cause/effect danse macabre. Despite the focus on jobs and the economy, damage due to the effects of global warming will further devastate our economy, illustrating yet another reason why this election is so critical.
Bonus Click: See Gina Gershon satirize Sarah Palin. Warning: some language may not be work-safe (or child-safe).
