Overplaying the Warming Hand

Katrina is a terrible, terrible disaster. Global Warming is real, and it is demonstrably linked to human activity.

But to suggest Katrina is linked to global warming is to overplay the hand. There is no pattern to support the assertion that hurricane activity is up in intensity over time. We are in a period of higher tropical storm production, but this is more the result of el nino and el nina activity.

In fact, more realistic global warming scenarios show the temperature in the Atlantic may drop significantly, thus suppressing hurricane formation.

Making hasty claims provides ammunition to the detractors of climate change science that supports the case for emmissions regulations. It does so by giving these opponents something to point to when they say humanity’s role in global warming is exaggerated.