Hurricane Katrina - Does Bush hear a Global warming wake-up call??

What if the current human and environmental tragedy on the Gulf Coast could be traced to effects of global warming? On one hand we have a no-book-readin' presidential jock - George Bush - now 'benevolently' promising to dole out "assets and resources" in the wake of a Category 4/5 hurricane. This is the same guy who for years has stonewalled repeated international requests for our country to sign a treaty to combat global warming. I have a feeling we are plumbing amazing new depths of cynicism. What do most of us know of scientific research on hurricanes, typhoons and global warming cited on this site from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Research Laboratory (which is part of NOAA - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)? Why is NOAA part of the U.S. Commerce Department, anyway? The website states: "The strongest hurricanes in the present climate may be upstaged by even more intense hurricanes over the next century as the earth's climate is warmed by increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Although we cannot say at present whether more or fewer hurricanes will occur in the future with global warming, the hurricanes that do occur near the end of the 21st century are expected to be stronger and have significantly more intense rainfall than under present day climate conditions. This expectation is based on an anticipated enhancement of energy available to the storms due to higher tropical sea surface temperatures. ..." Hurricane Katrina pushes oil past an unbelievable $70 a barrel and cuts off oil supplies from the Gulf Coast, yet some of us like mindless sheep are out shopping for a huge, over-priced, gas-guzzling SUV ("truck") that in turn adds to the greenhouse gas burden on the entire planet, which is then going to spawn more intense, more devastating storms.

Comments

[Timdog]

BAD job by the President assigning Brown to head FEMA. Due to public outrage, Brown was sent home due to " the Blame Game". Bush has now appointed Ronald McDonald of McDonalds to take over hurricane Diaster control in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Whats next?

[Warren Woolhiser]

Why is NOAA part of the Commerce Dept.?

It is largely historical. Tom Jefferson started what was to become the Coast and Geodetic Survey (1807). Its original mission was to create coastal charts. It got involved with tide prediction and in 1882 it had the first real analog computer built that could and did predict tides all over the world. It was not replaced by a modern computer until the 1960's, I believe.

Then when there was a large Tsunami (?) that hit Hilo, Hawaii after WWII, the agency set up a Tsunami prediction network in the Pacific that is working today, pretty much as set up.

What is the logic of keeping NOAA with the Commerce Dept? Disasters affect commerce. Look at the price of gas.

The failing in New Oreans is mainly due to incompetence of the Bush appointees. A plan for recovery from this disaster should have already been in place. I think one would find most of the NOAA bureaucrats are dedicated and put out good work.

Remember, it was Ron Brown (Commerce Dept) with the Clinton administration that had a lot to do with our economic boom in the 1990's.