Environmental Wake-Up Calls Edit

Global Warming Puts Hurricanes on Steroids
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Hurricane Gustav and the Farmers’ Almanac are just two of the latest reminders of global warming. In short, “global warming is putting hurricanes on steroids,” according to a new report entitled “Increasing Vulnerability to Hurricanes: Global Warming’s Wake-Up Call for the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coasts,” by Dr. Amanda Staudt of the National Wildlife Federation.

Another reminder that will hit home is that Hurricane Gustav is causing oil prices to soar again.  Over the last year, oil prices have already been a public reminder of global warming, so perhaps Hurricane Gustav + oil fluctuations will act as a 1-2 punch.

In the research, Dr. Staudt links stronger storms to global warming and predicts that tropical sea surface temperatures could rise 3° F, which is three times the warming increase to date, if greenhouse gas emissions continue at today’s levels over the next century.

“Although no single weather event can be attributed to global warming, it’s critical to understand that a warming climate is supplying the very conditions that fuel the strongest storms.”

Be smart people, protect our planet in any way you can.