Global Warming to Blame for Hurricane Katrina?
By Elana Meyersdorf
October 21, 2005
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds have been left homeless, hungry and heartbroken. The enormity of the damage has led many to ask the question: “How did this happen?” In scientific circles, global warming is being discussed as a possible cause. A recent study conducted by Peter Webster and his colleagues of the Georgia Institute of Technology shows an 80% increase of number 4 and 5 tropical cyclones in the past 35 years. This dramatic increase is consistent with intensifying global warming that is occurring due to anthropogenic (human-generated) greenhouse gases.
There is no doubt that tropical storms and heat are intrinsically related, as tropical storms feed off warm ocean water to drive their cyclonic winds. However, the question remains as to whether there is a direct causal nexus between rising temperatures and severe tropical storms. In the study conducted by Webster, two independent variables were observed: the number of tropical storms in the past 35 years and the intensity of these storms.
http://www.yuobserver.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/21/435b0b75e6b98
Lieberman proposal: Hybrid autos to combat manmade global warming
By ABRAM KATZ, Register Science Editor
10/22/2005
NEW HAVEN -- Within two years, 10 percent of new autos sold in the United States would have to be hybrid electric-gasoline vehicles under proposed legislation by U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.
Lieberman, D-Conn., addressing a global climate change conference at Yale University on Friday, said that the U.S. transportation system must be transformed "from the refinery to the tail pipe and each step in between."
After a century of debate, evidence of manmade global warming is overwhelming, he said.
"If the leadership of the United States does not come to grips with the facts that we need a new energy policy ... we are not only putting this nation’s security, economy and public health at risk, but the world’s as well," he said in prepared remarks.
Lieberman said that agricultural waste and grassland could be used to produce 15 to 35 billion gallons of alcohol a year.
"Gasoline is not the only portable source of stored energy," he said.
A new generation of plug-in hybrids could use alcohol-enhanced fuel to achieve up to 500 miles per gallon, Lieberman said.
Unlike current hybrid autos, the batteries in hybrid plug-ins could be charged when the engine is off, saving fuel.
Lieberman said he soon plans to introduce legislation to require 10 percent of new cars to be hybrid electric plug-in or alternative fuel vehicles by 2007.
In seven years, 50 percent of the new cars sold in America would have to be hybrid electric or based on other gasoline-saving technology, according to the proposed bill.
Lieberman’s legislation would also require the U.S. to save 5 million barrels of oil a day within 10 years, and 10 million barrels a day within 20 years.
Lieberman said he also plans to reintroduce the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act, which would mandate a rollback of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. to 2000 levels by the end of the decade.
Lieberman and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced the bill last year but it was defeated 60-38.
http://www.bristolpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15434040&BRD=1643&PAG=461&dept_id=10486&rfi=6
Scientists seek to set the record straight on global warming
BY SANDI DOUGHTON
The Seattle Times
SEATTLE - John M. Wallace tried to steer Al Gore away from global warming.
The year was 1994 and the vice president was convinced rising temperatures were responsible for recent floods in the Mississippi River Valley.
He invited Wallace, a distinguished climate researcher from the University of Washington, to join a small group of scientists for a breakfast discussion in Washington, D.C.
As Gore sipped Diet Coke, Wallace nervously left the eggs on his own plate untouched.
"It was one of the more awkward audiences I've ever had," he recalled with a chuckle. "I was trying, in a polite way, to tell him he was coming on too strong about global warming."
Like many of his peers, Wallace wasn't convinced greenhouse gases were altering the world's climate, and he thought Gore was straining scientific credibility to score political points.
More than a decade later, Wallace still won't blame global warming for any specific heat wave, drought or flood - including the recent devastating hurricanes. But he no longer doubts the problem is real and the risks profound.
"With each passing year the evidence has gotten stronger - and is getting stronger still."
1995 was the hottest year on record until it was eclipsed by 1997 - then 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Melting ice has driven Alaska Natives from seal-hunting areas used for generations. Glaciers around the globe are shrinking so rapidly many could disappear before the middle of the century.
As one study after another has pointed to carbon dioxide and other man-made emissions as the most plausible explanation, the cautious community of science has embraced an idea initially dismissed as far-fetched. The result is a convergence of opinion rarely seen in a profession where attacking each other's work is part of the process. Every major scientific body to examine the evidence has come to the same conclusion: The planet is getting hotter; man is to blame; and it's going to get worse.
"There's an overwhelming consensus among scientists," said University of Washington climate researcher David Battisti, who also was dubious about early claims of greenhouse warming.
Yet the message doesn't seem to be getting through to the public and policy-makers.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/12960364.htm
