In the Northern Hemisphere in 2017 and 2018 brought several destructive hurricanes to the shores of North America, the Caribbean, and throughout the Pacific rim. Such extreme weather events are predicted to get more common and more severe with increasing climate change.
Several participating classes in the ISCFC were or are in the path of these storms and we hope for the best for them, their families and communities.
We would love to hear from students affected directly and indirectly by extreme weather events, and also any students who have been following the news this summer.
What are your thoughts about the connection between climate change and extreme weather events? Has this hurricane season increased your concern about climate change or not? Do you think that US citizens and residents (and others in the region) will take climate change more seriously now?
Extreme Weather >
Strength of Storms and Hurricanes
It is an obvious trend that the strength of all types of storms is increasing, and that is likely due to human activity and releasing CO2. This trend is expected to increase in the future, and still we continue to increase our carbon emissions. What do you think will happen to residences along the coastlines? How strong do you think the storms will become over the next 30-50 years?
it's so true, every year the hurricanes are getting bigger and stronger. They are now able to go on land and stay really strong. In Louisiana, the rain is getting worse and it's a problem since we are a bowl that just collects water. I mean it does not help that we have old pumps but it's scary to think if there was just a really really bad storm and a lot of water was dumped on us we could be history
It is clear that global weather is changing and can sometimes cause lots of destruction in some areas. Human activity has caused weather to become stronger and appear in more unexpected places. One cause is global warming, which is mainly affected by human machines that release gases into the atmosphere. This will cause the temperatures of the oceans to rise and will have a huge affect on weather. Storms and hurricanes will become even more stronger over the years and the more the atmosphere changes, the more warmer oceans become in more areas that aren't as warm now, such as the Pacific Coast. Hurricanes and storms will appear more in those areas and cause more flooding and damage.
Well, after reading your post and question, I did some research. According to the Center For Climate and Energy Solutions, Category 4 and 5 Hurricanes have increased by 45-87 percent. Furthermore, they also calculated that the sea level will rise 1 to 4 feet during the next century. So, to answer your question, the residence along the coastlines are in danger from storms and floods. However, this problem is not a 30-50 year change anymore. This is happening right now, and that is terrifying, but there is much we can do. If we all made small changes such as carpooling more, or thrifting our clothes instead of buying retail, or eating less meat, we would decrease our carbon foot prints dramatically.
How exactly do elevated carbon emissions increase the severity of storms? If storm levels continue to increase areas in the coast will become uninhabitable. I myself live near a coast, something that can help prevent storm danger/ damage where i live is the natural rising and falling of the land that acts as a natural sea wall.