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WORD COUNT
605
OCTOBER 26, 2005
GLOBAL WARMING
STRENGTHENS HURRICANES – by Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel
Hurricanes Katrina,
Rita, and Wilma made clear to the public there is a link between global
warming and the power -- not frequency -- of hurricanes. Warm water in
the Gulf of Mexico helped transform three mild tropical storms into the
most powerful category of hurricanes possible. Hurricane Wilma was
classified as the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic
basin and was the third Category 5 hurricane this season.
It is impossible to
blame any one weather event -- be it a hurricane or a heat wave or a
blizzard -- on global warming. That is because weather is not climate.
Climate represents average conditions over multiple seasons or decades.
A longer perspective is essential to see climate shifts above the
natural variation.
Recent research from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that a combined measure
of duration and intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean has
doubled over the last 30 years. Similarly, a Georgia Tech study this
summer showed that the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has
increased in the last 30 years, while the number of Category 1, 2, and 3
storms has decreased. These trends correspond to increases in average
ocean surface temperatures over the same period. This is not surprising,
since warm oceans fuel hurricanes just as gasoline fuels a
fire.
Climate scientists
around the world are certain that rising ocean temperatures are in large
part a result of global warming. Most of the strongest hurricanes on
record have occurred during the past 15 years, when ocean surface
temperatures climbed to record levels.
The bottom line is
that global warming is creating more intense hurricanes.
Burning fossil fuels
in cars and power plants releases carbon dioxide that blankets the Earth
and traps heat. Oceans cover the majority of the Earth's surface, and
they absorb most of this excess heat. Temperatures have already risen
dramatically in recent decades, and because carbon dioxide can stay in
the atmosphere for a hundred or more years, temperatures will only
continue to increase.
This is a serious
problem.
A warmer planet means
more droughts and extreme heat events, which threaten air quality and
human health. Rising sea levels are already affecting citizens living on
the coasts.
If the federal
government continues to ignore global warming, hurricane damage likely
will escalate.
In 2004, hurricanes
caused more than $45 billion in damages. The cost of Katrina and Rita
alone will surpass that. To protect the lives of coastal residents and
reduce property damage, we need to restore and protect wetlands and
barrier islands and, most of all, start to curb global warming today.
The United States
should take the lead by investing in clean homegrown renewable energy
that will save us money, open up new industries, and create jobs at
home. With only 4 percent of the world's population, the United States
emits 25 percent of the world's global warming pollution. With so many
cost-effective solutions at hand -- cleaner cars, renewable energy, and
energy-efficient appliances -- it is irresponsible to postpone action in
the hopes that some unproven technology of the future will be enough to
solve the problem.
Unfortunately, the
Bush administration's failure to move forward with solutions is
discouraging U.S. companies from producing and selling the most
efficient cars and trucks, appliances, and renewable energy systems here
and abroad. Toyota is currently the lead driver in the hybrid market,
with the Big Three trying to catch up.
For economic and
environmental reasons, and above all to save human lives, we must take
action to reduce heat-trapping emissions.
Too much is at stake
to ignore the warning signs of Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
--
Brenda Ekwurzel, PhD.
is a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
She has done climate research at the University of Arizona, Columbia
University and the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. UCS is
an independent
nonprofit alliance of 50,000 concerned citizens and scientists across
the country. UCS augments rigorous scientific analysis with
innovative thinking and committed citizen advocacy to build a cleaner,
healthier environment and a safer world.
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