IS THIS NORMAL???

[smallfry]

Hiya, this is really a question to those of you who live in the South East Coastaly areas of America, who are a dab hand at hurricanes (an infact all Americans i spose)...

Is this years amount and severity of hurricanes normal? Over here in Britain, it really does seem like the world has gone mental this year, and that these are the most sever and freqent storms ever. Is this just the media hyping it up, or is it really far worse that you have ever had it before?

If it is worse... do you think American public and political opinion (or, it seems lack of) on global warming and pollution may start to reflect the obvious and now almost inevitable dangers?

Would really be interested to hear your views

Smallfry

[smssilva]

I'm with Smallfry.
After all the recent events where do Americans now stand on the Global warming policy?

[geminigirl]

You know what?  I'm not a huge fan of the whole global warming theory ...

I think weather patterns are cyclical - for instance, we've had mini-ice ages in the not too distant past and we'll have them again.

Yes, the weather has gone extremely 'mental' this past few years but I'm not entirely convinced it's just down to the amount of pollutions we're putting out.

And yeah, I'm aware that might sound very controversial but a lot of the statistics just don't add up ...

[juspeachy]

I tend to agree with Geminigirl on this one.  I DO think that media coverage has improved to the point that we have instant access to everything going on in the world today.  We are "up close and personal" with every major event and news story happening at any time and any where.  Forty years ago when we were having a lot of bad weather, the news wasn't so "global."  

We shouldn't be at all surprised by the devastation caused by these hurricanes because in a lot of cases, people have built expensive hotels and condos right on the natural barriers that used to provide at least a little protection.

It is sad to see so many people lose everything they own, but you can't stop Mother Nature.  

JusPeachy

[peana]

Whether or not you believe human interefence has caused the temperature to increase, the hurricane season has been unusually bad.  A quote from New Scientist re Wilma - It is the 21st tropical storm of the season, equalling the record for the annual number of North Atlantic tropical storms, set in 1933. If the storm becomes a full-blown hurricane, as predicted, it will be the 12th of 2005, tying the annual hurricane record, set in 1969. There is still a month and a half remaining of the North Atlantic hurricane season.

I no longer have the article, but I read a little while ago that scientists have linked the increased sea temperature to the increased ferocity of the storms.  It looks like weather patterns are changing for the worse and that we are experiencing global warming.  Although earth has experienced climate change throughout its history there is very little geological data that shows such rapid changes as we are now witnessing.  It is a very controversial subject and I was a sceptic in the past, but I now believe the evidence shows that we are detrimentally influencing our environment.

[reddrogue]

I truly believe that people who don't see how global warming is effecting the environment are wearing blinders.  It is not the ONLY factor, but it is definitely a MAJOR one.  It is not logical to compare an ice age from twelve billion years ago to any potential one in the future, because the environment/atmosphere then was not in the condition that it is today.  And it is in the condition it is today because of human-caused pollution.  We Americans are responsible for our fair share of it, and our nation needs to be much more globally responsible than it is.  We just don't want to give up our cars and gas-guzzlers, and other things that could be cut down on.  Heck, for that matter, what about all this trash we produce?  Recycling should be mandatory, but its not.  Our nation tends to behave a bit like an adolescent, in far too many cases.  "I want it, and I want it NOW!"  "No one can tell me what to do!"  "I know everything!"  We really need to get over ourselves.  I love the great U.S. of A., and that is why I wish we'd grow up.