War On Hurricanes

Four years ago 20 terrorists commandeered commercial airlines and slammed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Bush declared it an act of war and we have been in a "war against terror" ever since.

Last weekend hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast and the damage and storm surge caused New Orleans to be flooded and fall into a chaotic mix of death, despair, suffering and lawlessness.

So just when is Bush going to declare a "war on hurricanes"?

This isn't as cockamamie as it sounds (unlike trying to rid the world of "terror" - puleeeze!). Scientists have an increasing amount of evidence that global warming is contributing to an increase in devastating hurricane activity:

An implication of these studies is that if the frequency of tropical cyclones remains the same over the coming century, a greenhouse-gas induced warming may lead to a gradually increasing risk in the occurrence of highly destructive category-5 storms.

The Pew Center on Global Climate Change also chimes in on the effects of global warming on hurricane intensity:

Because of the link between higher ocean temperatures and hurricanes, there is speculation that hurricanes will increase in frequency or intensity in a warmer world, with higher wind speeds and greater precipitation. We have more confidence in the link between global warming and increased intensity and precipitation than in increased frequency. However, higher ocean temperatures also appear to influence the track of hurricanes, increasing the likelihood of hurricanes tracking through the Caribbean or making landfall on the U.S. east coast.

So what can be done to give us the upper hand in our global struggle against violent hurricanes?

It’s quite clear that the United States is not prepared to handle multiple catastrophic events in a short time period, with many other countries being even less capable of bearing the economic consequences of catastrophic weather events. We probably will never be completely prepared, but we could do better. We can plan our communities better, we can design our buildings and infrastructure better, and we can manage resources better. And we should also be taking more active steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help reduce the added risk of global warming.

So President Bush, when are we going to hear you lay down the gauntlet to defeat this enemy once and for all? When are you going to bring all the resources of this nation to bear on this massive problem so that we can have safe harbors? When are you going to call all Americans and Congress to join you in this crusade against this unrelenting force of nature that has created havoc on our shores?

This is the war we need to be fighting with an even greater fervor than the one that has veered off course and left us stuck between Iraq and a hard place.

Our nation turns it's waiting eyes to you Mr. Bush.