October 24, 2005
Global Temperatures
:The same week that a record 22nd tropical storm was named in the Atlantic Ocean, the first to use a Greek letter to identify it, scientists announced research that suggests that increased temperature will cause an increase in extreme weather. Under a scenario that used U.S. weather from 1961 to 1985 to predict weather from 2071 to 2095, the coldest day in the Northeast will be as much as 18 degrees warmer. The Gulf Coast will see less frequent but more intense rain, while the Southwest will become drier and hotter.
(Filed under: Natural Disasters, Environmental Impact, Science / Technology, Global Issues)
October 17, 2005
World Temperatures
:New international climate data shows that 2005 is on track to be the hottest year on record. Climatologists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies calculated the record-breaking global average, which now surpasses 1998’s record by a tenth of a degree Fahrenheit. This comes on the heel of an announcement late last month that the Arctic ice cap shrank to 200 million square miles, 500,000 square miles less than the average between 1979 and 2000.
(Filed under: Environmental Impact, Global Issues)
September 2, 2005
Commentary - The Power of Mother Nature
:Once again, the natural world has shown its strength and again we will be forced to consider (and then ignore) what needs to be done. While I hesitate to blame anyone or anything for a natural disaster, a storm of such magnitude was always possible (they seem to happen every few years) and once again we were not ready. New Orleans, as we have learned over this last week, is almost completely below sea level. And it has been falling further annually (3 feet in the last 100 years). Human impact is huge. The levies, flood walls, and dams throughout the Mississippi system has ended the silt dump at the Louisiana basin, which has offered, for millenias, natural protection from hurricanes. Yet, efforts were not taken. In fact, Congress had been working to cut funding to projects to rebuild the Louisiana Bayou before leaving on recess.
This weekend, I will travel to the North Carolina outer-banks. I feel bad about the trip – I am supporting an industry that is simply going to cause a horrific tragedy. The islands off the American coasts is nature’s way of protecting the land from the storm. In the last one-hundred years we have gone a long way to destroying that natural system. By protecting beaches, we have destroyed the natural cycle of moving islands that will eventually protect us all from a violent hurricane.
With changing climatic conditions, we will see more violent hurricanes and other disasters. We must provide the resources to rebuild when they happen. But more cost effective (and better for the environment) would be to provide more proactive measures, such as replenishing the Louisiana bayou with silt lost to dams and allowing North Carolina islands to shift, which could protect us and our way of life. Without this change in thought and behavior, New Orleans will not be the last city to be completely submerged or rebuilt.
(Filed under: Natural Disasters, Hurricane Katrina, Environmental Impact)
August 27, 2005
Environment
:The Bush Administration announced on Tuesday a plan to force automakers to raise fuel efficiency in all automobiles by 2011 and SUVs by 2008. This comes in response to high gas prices and a few weeks after new energy and transportation bills. Environmental advocates panned the approach as it does not effect the largest SUVs (like Hummer’s H2) or passenger cars, which are already required to maintain an average of 27.5 miles per gallon. It is alleged that it would also create new loopholes that would weaken the requirements and not help reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Meanwhile, nine Northeastern states and three Western states are moving to reduce pollution emissions by 10% by 2020. These state initiatives are in response to global warming concerns and beginning to replace what would have usually been a Federal responsibility.