EcoWatch: Just when you think it can’t get any worse
“We can see from space how the human race has changed the earth. Nearly all the available land has been cleared of forest and is now used as agricultural or urban development. The polar ice-caps are shrinking and the desert areas are increasing. At night the Earth is no longer dark, but large areas are lit up. All this is evidence that human demands and expectations are ever-increasing. We cannot continue to pollute the atmosphere, poison the ocean, and exhaust the land.”
Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist and cosmologist
Sorry for the long quote, but yes it does get worse. This column is not meant to be a harbinger of bad news; however, it is what it is, bad.
Recently the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted above-normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and stated that La Nina and warmer-than average ocean temperatures would be the major drivers of tropical activity.
NOAA’s outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85 percent chance of an above normal chance of a near-normal season and a five percent chance of a below-normal season. NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of these, eight to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 m.p.h. or higher), including four to seven major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70 percent confidence in their ranges.
According to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have “above normal activity due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical storm formation.”
The Federal Emergency Management Association also asked for preparation for the season.
“Severe weather and emergencies can happen at any moment, which is why individuals and communities need to be prepared today,” said FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik A. Hooks, in a release. “Already, we are seeing storms move across the country that can bring additional hazards like tornadoes, flooding, and hail. Taking a proactive approach to our increasing challenging climate landscape today can make a difference in how people can recover tomorrow.”
Right now is the time to dwell on the consequences of climate change and intense hurricanes, but here is where it gets worse. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently scratched the 2022 requirements that would increase the amount of renewable energy that they produce until reaching 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. It was also announced climate change would no longer be considered or the term used as part of the of the problem or discussed when DeSantis moved to repeal state renewable-energy goals.
The new law will take affect July 1 and will remove references to greenhouse emissions and more.
However, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, ‘NASA’ in a report ‘A Force of Nature: Humans in a Changing Climate by Angela Colbert of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “Due to global warming models that predict hurricanes will likely cause more intense rainfall and have an increase coastal flood risk due to higher storm surge caused by rising seas.”
Now that warming water temperatures have reached an all-time high, that will add to the formation of intense hurricanes. It is time to prepare for this hurricane season that has been predicted to be a big problem, and listen to the emergency management for advice and needed preparations. Attend any hurricane seminars in your area as they will have a wealth of information for your use. Make plans for your pets, storm shelters for pets are always not available in your area, do not wait until a storm is approaching.
Highways get packed early. If intense storms are on the menu, now is the time to prepare.
Above all, have all the supplies on hand before a hurricane is on the way. Many supplies are limited.
Finally, some words of wisdom for this coming hurricane season from Bill Nye:
“It not that the world has not had more carbon dioxide. It is not that the world has not been warmer. The problem is the speed at which things are changing. We are inducing a sixth mass extinction event kind by accidents and we don’t want to be the extinctee.”
email: gaiasvigil@gmail.com
