Mother Nature finally punched back.
Hurricane Katrina's destruction of New Orleans marks the arrival of climate change on US shores; it is the first—but sadly not likely to be the last—global warming-related cataclysm to hit North America in the 21st century. The storm's horrific devastation can be read as a parable of warning, a caution against the arrogant idea that we can go on harming the earth's vital ecosystems without also harming ourselves. The flood's message should be clear enough: Continued reckless exploitation of our natural resources—and especially tinkering with the planet's complex atmosphere—will not occur without some dreadful consequences.
The hurricane tore apart one of America's most charismatic and beloved cities, causing, by US standards, unprecedented death and destruction. At least 1,289 people died as a result of the storm and the floods that followed. Property damage across the Gulf Coast is estimated to reach $125 billion. Residents of New Orleans say they are committed to rebuilding their homes and businesses, but the city's fate remains as murky as the waters of the Mississippi.
The storm also ripped into Americans' perceptions of ourselves and our place in the world. The shocking images of dead bodies in the streets and families left to fend for themselves revealed a nation sharply divided by race and class. The wealthier—and usually white—people made it to dry ground, while the poor—and mostly black—folks were left to sink or swim. At the same time, the storm's aftermath uncovered the incompetence—or was it the callousness?—of the Bush administration, a government more concerned with guaranteeing a steady flow of oil from the Middle East than with guaranteeing the basic safety of its own citizens. The storm drowned out the elites' assurances that everything is just fine, and forced Americans to reconsider the neat narratives of progress our government and media have long offered. Having failed to prepare for Hurricane Katrina, the country's leaders now face the prospect of reaping the whirlwind of a populist backlash.
But every storm has a silver lining, and this catastrophe's may be that it compelled ordinary citizens to finally recognize the clear and present danger of climate change. The Katrina calamity, followed by skyrocketing gasoline prices as Gulf Coast refining operations were briefly halted (Mother Nature has a sense of irony, doesn't she?), may have prompted many to question whether our gluttonous oil consumption is sustainable.
There is no way to match a single storm with the warming of the earth's atmosphere. But the science is clear that climate change is increasing the incidence of extreme weather events, making Katrina-like catastrophes more likely than ever; in that sense, Katrina was certainly climate change related. Hurricanes like the one that hit Louisiana derive their power from warm waters in the South Atlantic Ocean. Since 1960, surface temperatures in the South Atlantic have risen about three degrees C, which has given hurricanes a bigger energy source to build up destructive power. The website www.realclimate.org explains it this way: Katrina's relation to climate change is like rolling double sixes with loaded dice—you can't explain every double six by the dice being loaded, but the chances of rolling a double six are undoubtedly higher because they are. Take the metaphor a step further, and you'll see that it's time we stop gambling with our future and act now to halt global warming.
The best way to do that is by sharply reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Constructing a wind and solar energy infrastructure, rebuilding our rail networks, redesigning our cities, and manufacturing zero-emission vehicles are some of the many ways we can work to slash the amount of CO2 we are belching into the atmosphere. Taking these steps would not only help heal the environment, but would also bolster the economy by creating green industry jobs. At the same time, we would strengthen our national security by becoming less vulnerable to the whims of the oil markets.
Unfortunately, the right-wing faction now in power in the US has long resisted such common sense steps, claiming that they would be too costly for the economy. But, as Katrina so dramatically demonstrated, the problem isn't that we can't afford to grapple with climate change; it's that we can't afford not to.
Take Action: Jumpstart Ford
GX is working with a coalition to convince Ford Motor Company—the automaker with the worst average fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions—to take leadership in tackling climate change. On our recent International Day of Action, more than 90 communities across the US, Canada and the UK held protests outside Ford dealerships to call for zero emissions cars and trucks. To learn how you can get involved, contact cleancars@globalexchange.org or call Mike Hudema at 415-255-7296 x230.
