Will Hurricane Sandy Compel Politicians to Prioritize Climate Change?

[limpyhobbler]

...We don’t know yet what Hurricane Sandy will leave in its wake as it tears its way toward the Northeast U.S.—although meteorologists are already warning that this “Frankenstorm” could be another billion-dollar disaster—or as one put it, “an economic and human disaster on multiple levels,” if it makes landfall near Long Island or Northern New Jersey.

But here’s what we do know:

This mega-storm is just one more sign of the new normal that will continue as long as we keep avoiding addressing climate change.

Just like the unprecedented droughts, flooding and heat we all experienced this year, storms like Hurricane Sandy is what global warming looks like.
...

complete piece: http://ecowatch.org/2012/hurricane-sandy/

[Lucky Luciano]

1. In a word: No. nt

[Fumesucker]

5. Took the word right out of my mouth n/t

[n2doc]

8. exactly. Unfortunately. n/t

[SheilaT]

2. Probably not.

One late-season massive hurricane, while somewhat unusual is not totally unprecedented. It will be a pattern of change that might finally wake up the climate deniers, but don't count on it.

Humans are remarkably good at ignoring what is right in front of them. Keep in mind that on Easter Island, they cut down every single tree, changing the ecology there forever. What could they have been thinking? Who knows? Same with the global effects of human action in our time.

There's always drought somewhere. Always flooding somewhere else. And so on. Terrible drought that could not possibly have been caused by what people did depopulated parts of Arizona and New Mexico about 600 years ago.

Today, with so many more people on the planet, impact of weather of any kind is far greater than ever. But don't count an rational thought to influence government policy any time soon.

[dipsydoodle]

3. A bad hurricane event this late in the season isn't unknown

How for example did climate a change cause this in 1932 :

The 1932 Cuba hurricane was a powerful and deadly late-season hurricane during the 1932 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the fourteenth tropical storm, fifth hurricane, and fourth major hurricane of the 1932 season.[1] The strongest tropical cyclone (and only Category 5 hurricane) ever recorded in the month of November, it devastated eastern Cuba and the Cayman Islands, resulting in at least 3,103 deaths, making it one of the deadliest hurricanes of the 20th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_Cuba_hurricane

History has shown that the paths of hurricanes are unpredictable. Whats unfortunate in the current situation is that Sandy is sweeping towards the US and will coincide with a cold air stream from elsewhere.

I'm not a climate change denier - I just believe its irrational to blame everything on that because doing so gives the subject lack of credibility. In this instance someone would need to demonstrate how climate change affects the path of a hurricane.

[limpyhobbler]

6. So is it just impossible to prove any single weather event was influenced by climate change?

If so that's gonna suck.

[jsr]

4. What climate change? Not a word in the debates.

[cbrer]

7. Wanna buy a bridge?

As much as it's going to affect human reality, climate change is NOT part of the political landscape of our masters.

[RussBLib]

9. Hell no

Nothing short of Jesus second coming is going to convince most Republicans.

[slackmaster]

10. No, because the end result is going to be deep snow in much of the Northeast

[Uncle Joe]

11. It depends on how bad the devastation is.

This is a slow moving hurricane so I expect flooding to be unprecedented.

Thanks for the thread, limpyhobbler.

[limpyhobbler]

12. You bet.

I know right now everybody is focused on the storm and staying safe. Hopefully afterward people will make the connection.

[modrepub]

13. We build in bad places

Look at the billions of dollars of property we have along the coasts. Even without climate change we've literally built castles on sand. Increasingly, private insurance companies have abandon the these areas leaving the public on the hook to repay the people to build their properties in harms way.

Want to make money? Bet against the insurance companies that have insured properties in Manhattan. It's just a matter of time.

[rachel1]

14. Is it obvious enough that abnormal and increasing climate changes

are proof of what man-made pollution is doing?

It's almost like asking if the water is wet or if Romney is a despicable scumbag.

[kenny blankenship]

15. Will Duopoly Operators cease to sell out their constituencies for corporate cash?

No.

Climate destruction and CO2 pollution that causes it will become a priority only when you people stop cooperating with the Corporatist duopoly and their plans to sell you out.