Thursday, March 23, 2006
A qualified opinion
Roger Pielke, Jr., is the director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
He says the new study(current issue of the journal Science), adds weight to findings of a link between warmer oceans and hurricane intensity.
He cautioned, however, that burning oil and coal to drive our cars and heat our homes—which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—is not to blame for an increase in the damage done by hurricanes.
"It's important to recognize that [storm] damage is going to increase going forward, no matter what happens to sea-surface temperatures or hurricanes, as more people move to vulnerable locations on the coastline," he said.
"If hurricanes do become more intense than they have in the past, then that would be an additional factor," he added.
He says the new study(current issue of the journal Science), adds weight to findings of a link between warmer oceans and hurricane intensity.
He cautioned, however, that burning oil and coal to drive our cars and heat our homes—which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—is not to blame for an increase in the damage done by hurricanes.
"It's important to recognize that [storm] damage is going to increase going forward, no matter what happens to sea-surface temperatures or hurricanes, as more people move to vulnerable locations on the coastline," he said.
"If hurricanes do become more intense than they have in the past, then that would be an additional factor," he added.
