In the past couple of weeks, there have been not one, not two, but three powerful hurricanes that have made quite the entrance, two of which are category five hurricanes. Typically, seeing storms such as these, are not uncommon, given that it is hurricane season.
A controversial issue that has risen from Hurricane Irma and Harvey is, if there is any correlation between hurricanes and climate change. According to the Washington Post, the “sea level rise is accelerating, and storm surge from hurricanes rides on top of higher seas to infiltrate further into our coastal cities.”
Climate change also plays a role in terms of rainfall. Climate change can affect how much rain is accumulated. When rainfall and sea levels are high, this causes flooding in major hurricanes, which cause the worst damage.
Heavier rainfall has been accumulating more, due to the increase in the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. This increase in the amount of water vapor has been induced by humans.
Although Hurricane Harvey is no longer in effect, the aftermath, has very much so left a devastating effect on Texas and Louisiana as well as the Windward Islands, Suriname, Guyana, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula.
Hurricane Harvey, was only the tip of the iceberg. Shortly afterwards, Hurricane Irma approached relentlessly. Irma is a huge threat not only to the United States, but even more so to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas.
According to ABC News, the British overseas territory has sustained “catastrophic” damage. Mandatory evacuation orders have already been issued to barrier islands and about 1.2 million Florida residents.
With the occurrence of Hurricane Irma and Harvey, many scientists have claimed that we cannot afford to keep pretending that climate change is not real.
ABC News reported that Hurricane Harvey accumulated 50 inches of rain in three days, while Irma has reached winds at 155 mph, and continues to move closer towards South Florida. Hurricane Irma has resulted in at least 10 people losing their lives between Florida to South Carolina.
Although the United States has been impacted in detrimental ways from Irma, a majority of deaths and damage has taken place on Caribbean islands. Barbuda has experienced probably the worst of it all.
“Over 90 percent of buildings and vehicles were destroyed,” according to ABC News.
Ultimately, humans are causing our earth to destruct and climate experts are saying that now is not the time to doubt that climate change is real. They believe that we as a nation cannot afford to keep pretending that it is not a real and dangerous issue. Under Donald Trump’s administration, environmental policies have been dismantled, which could have a negative impact on our environment.
As a nation, it is up to us to take care of this planet, or else the planet will not take care of us. Although planning for climate change is no easy task, it is necessary for our planet.
