Hurricane – Lori Bennear Research Group

Source: http://www.adishakti.org

What if one day you were told that the world as we know it, would soon come to an end? All those exams, papers, and all nighters were a complete waste because you will not have time to graduate. All the interviews, cover letters and info sessions you had to go to…they were pointless. What if you were told that on December 21, 2012, the world was going to end?

According to the ancient Mayan Long Count Calender, a cycle of more than 5,000 years will come to an end at the start of the winter solstice of 2012. This day, December 21^st of 2012, marks the last of the 144,00-day cycles known as bak’tuns. Familiar among practicing Maya and participants in the New Age movement, it is believed that this date will bring an apocalyptic global transformation.

While most of us expect to wake up on December 22, 2012 and find the world the same as it was on December 21, one aspect of this Mayan calender story actually requires serious attention. One of the predictions is the increase in natural disasters, the implictions of which we have seen first-hand over the last 30 years. The increase in natural disasters may signal fundamental shifts in the earth’s climate and could significantly alter life on earth.

According to data from the Red Cross, United Nations and researchers around the world, it is estimated that the number of natural disasters has increased by more than four-times over the past 30 years. In a survey done earlier this year, 700 natural disasters were registered worldwide in the past two years alone. These events affected more than 450 million people and have caused $100 billion in damages per year between 2000 and 2012. These numbers compare to a strikingly lower, $20 billion per year in damages evaluation, in the 1990s.

But what is the cause of this dramatic rise in disasters? Climate change, global warming and natural cycles such as the El Nino or La Nina phenomena are believed to be linked to the increased severe weather conditions. There is significant evidence to show that the global climate is already changing, and will continue to change over coming decades and centuries. Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters in the last century; this rate is nearly double that of last century. Global temperature has risen since the 1970s, with the warmest 20 years having occurred since 1981, and all of the 10 warmest years occurring in the past 12 years. Other compelling evidence is seen in shrinking ice sheets, declining Arctic sea ice, glacier retreat and ocean acidification (If you want more information on climate change facts see http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/).

With these dramatic changes occurring, is there anything we can do at this point to save our fate of the December 21^st dooms day? The fact is, we need to focus our effort and attention on global warming and climate change. The United States can no longer delay the adoption of effective policies to limit emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Carbon dioxide and other GHG emmissions are contributing to the overall climate change around the world. We have three options we can consider: mitigation, adaptation and “business as usual”. Mitigation would reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases while adaptation would deal with the consequences of climate change and global warming (including natural disaster occurences). Our final option, “business as usual” would consist of doing nothing, and continuing to live with the increase in GHG emmissions. This would save costs of mitigation today, but would make adaptation costs much higher in the future.

We are already seeing a few changes around the world as people become aware of the increasing impacts of climate change. The increase in natural disasters has created an awareness and a sense of adaptation throughout the globe. Farmers have began to explore drought-risistent plants, families are relocating to safer locations as sea levels rise, and insurance companies are adjusting rates due to predictions of future climate changes. Mitigation is also occurring on the personal, local and global levels. People are attempting to lower individual footprints. Cities are committing to lower GHG emmissions, and countries are researching alternative energy sources to lower pollution.

However with all these efforts at hand, it is important to note that any changes we make now will not yield immediete results. If the world as we know it is going to be sustained, changes do need to be made, and they need to happen now. I do plan on waking up December 22^nd and finding my world to be the same as it was on December 21^st, however this may not stand true forever. The Mayan’s may have predicted the wrong date; however, with the increasing natural disasters and climate changes, their predictions do not seem as crazy as I once thought.

Sources:

Source: Clean Technica <http://cleantechnica.com/2012/08/26/hurricane-isaac-has-a-wind-power-message-for-mitt-romney/>

Post Written by Lauren Martin

Americans anxiously anticipated the arrival of Hurricane Isaac, a Category 1 storm that killed 7 people, flooded regions of Louisiana, and dumped more than 20 inches of rain in some areas this past week. Every time there is a hurricane, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX show 24-7 coverage of what Jon Steward calls “Hurricane Porn.” Hurricane Isaac intrinsically roused memories of recent disasters in the Gulf Coast, including Hurricane Katrina and the BP Oil Spill, accentuating the media flurry that enveloped the nightly news. Natural disaster activity in the Gulf Coast over the past decade has become increasingly politically charged and particular attention to presidential nominees in this campaign season dictated a lot of what is reported on in the media. The real question at hand is if this is just voyeuristic ‘disaster porn’ or is there a substantive policy reason or set of reasons to be focused on gulf hurricanes?

DISASTER POLITICS

So, how does Hurricane Isaac relate to Mitt Romney and President Obama’s campaign anyway? The media and general public have routinely scrutinized Presidents for their response to natural disasters. Whether it be applauding Herbert Hoover in the Mississippi Flood of 1927 or questioning why President Bush flew over the damages of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 instead of touching down, the public eye looks upon the leaders of our country with heightened awareness in times of need.

Governor Mitt Romney visited Louisiana August 31, while President Obama visited on New Orleans the following Monday. While both candidates deviated from their campaign trails to evidence their empathy for those suffering Americans in need of assistance, it gave them yet another seemingly “apolitical” topic that already attracted enough media attention that a public brawl must ensue.

Official press direct from the White House Press Secretary Jay Carney examined Isaac’s damages with barely any mention of the Hurricane with his statements: “It is worth noting that last year there was an effort to underfund the money that’s used to provide relief to Americans when they’ve been hit by disasters..and that effort was led by Congressman Paul Ryan”. The media soaked this up but Carney couldn’t revel in his condescendence of Ryan too long before representatives of the Ryan-Romney campaign refuted these claims by describing their disaster relief platform as “a critical obligation and should be treated as a high priority within a fiscally responsible budget”.

Hurricane Isaac allows candidates to temporarily elevate natural disasters as an aspect of each respective candidates’ campaign agenda. Although it can highlight the divergence between their policies, it has no lasting fortitude when people step into their offices on Monday and Hurricane Isaac crawls form front-page news to an afterthought by Friday for many Americans.

I agree that leading up to the Presidential Election, how could Hurricane Isaac not become politically charged? But, as the hurricane porn subsides, I’ll tell you what you missed. Hurricane Isaac encapsulates important economic and environmental components that should mean more to Americans that ending up in the back pages of the Wall Street Journal.

ECONOMY

Everyone loves to talk about “risk management” in our economy. Well guess what, the environment poses incredible risks to our economy. Every natural disaster impedes the intrinsic workflow of local activity. Hurricanes have economic implications that stretch far greater than their geographical regions. Paradoxically, not all of these implications negatively affect our economy, as rebuilding after the hurricane can actually be a boon for economic growth particularly in the construction industries.

However, in the short-term, analysts predict that there are damages in gas prices and economic growth. The halt of oil and natural gas production is forecasted to cause more than a $750 billion loss, which is 0.1 percent of annualized real GDP growth. The G7 called for a lift in oil production to negate this lack of supply, which bolstered up crude oil prices for a brief period.

ENVIRONMENT

There are several environmental implications of hurricanes in the gulf. One concern is that recent perceived increases in hurricane activity are a sign of global climate change. The United States Global Change Research Fund found that “hurricane intensity and associated storm surge will be among the most serious consequences of climate change”. (www.globalclimatechange.gov/usimpacts) These findings forecast that lower topographical regions where sea level is rising will be more frequently and intensely affected, especially on account of greater loss of land-mass, which serves as a buffer for coastal areas.

In contrast, however, some were hopeful that Hurricane Isaac could help alleviate the present nation-wide drought, affecting roughly 63% of the continental US, although it failed to sufficiently do so.

Finally, years hurricane can reduce hypoxia (low oxygen) conditions in the Gulf. The hypoxic zone, or dead zone, in the Gulf is a seasonal phenomenon that results from nutrient runoff from Midwestern agriculture, hot summer temperatures, and lack of mixing among strata in the water column. Hypoxia has potential impacts on shrimp and oyster harvest in the U.S. Hurricanes cause mixing among strata in the water column which can temporarily increase oxygen levels and reduce the size of the dead zone.

So, there you have it. The real affects of Isaac in the midst of the captivating and enthralling hurricane porn you have been watching on CNN, MSNBC, and FOX

Sources:

1) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444914904577623604026814924.html?KEYWORDS=drought%27s+grip+is+wide+and+deep

2) http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/08/31/hurricane-isaac-likely-caused-some-ripples-in-economy/?KEYWORDS=hurricane+isaac+likely+caused+some+ripples+in+economy

3) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443618604577625712628569228.html?KEYWORDS=pace+of+isaac+cleanup+leaves+some+impatient

4) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444301704577629720510935762.html?KEYWORDS=many+still+without+power+after+isaac

5) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444772804577623771590036732.html?KEYWORDS=romney+visits+louisiana+obama+to+arrive+monday

6) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-29/hurricane-makes-campaigning-tricky-for-president-obama.html

7) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/03/obama-hurricane-isaac_n_1852720.html

8) http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/03/charges-of-politics-surround-visits-to-hurricane-damage/

9) http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gulfofmexicoalliance.org%2Fpdfs%2FPrimer_on_Hypoxia_in_the_Gulf_of_Mexico.pdf&ei=pEBKUI7qJIOu8QTt-YGQCw&usg=AFQjCNE18nJggh-x7UV78iqDypv2tN7uTQ&cad=rja

Category: Hurricane

Mayan Apocalypse? Perhaps Not, But Disasters On The Rise.

Hurricane Isaac Impacts Extend Beyond the Scope of a Category 1

Follow @RethinkingRegs on Twitter

Meta