Even before landfall, the warmanistas were already staking their claims to Hurricane Sandy as proof that global warming exists - and we must take immediate action to stop it. Sadly, their plans often include laundering taxpayer money through bankrupt "green" companies, which hardly seems like a prudent strategy to combat global warming, or to help a struggling economy.
In times like these, we need a little perspective. Accurate records for Atlantic hurricanes only go back so far for the United States. But there are reports of storms hitting the East Coast all the way back to the 12th Century. There were 3 storms in 1888 that hit New England, and 2 in 1869, 1893, 1954, 1972, and 1985. The further back in time, the less accurate the records. There is no way of knowing how many storms made landfall that went unnoticed, or were not recorded for posterity.
It wasn't that long ago that a certain well known climate charlatan was making movies, receiving a Nobel Prize, and telling the UN that hurricanes were getting more frequent and more dangerous. He was back on camera this week, using his best scary voice to tell us that Hurricane Sandy was, “a disturbing sign of things to come.”
In a very disturbing speech to the UN in 2005, and a noteworthy performance that should have won an Academy Award, Al Gore breathlessly blamed George Bush for everything from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, in the latter case, apparently the local government in Democrat-controlled New Orleans gets a pass for their ineptness. The global warming pope himself made the following outrageous predictions.
Now, the scientific community is warning us that the average hurricane will continue to get stronger because of global warming. A scientist at MIT has published a study well before this tragedy showing that since the 1970s, hurricanes in both the Atlantic and the Pacific have increased in duration, and in intensity, by about 50%. The newscasters told us after Hurricane Katrina went over the southern tip of Florida that there was a particular danger for the Gulf Coast of the hurricanes becoming much stronger because it was passing over unusually warm waters in the gulf.
Poppycock. Its almost as if nature likes mocking Al Gore. Every wacky prediction he makes falls short. Since his proclamation of doom, the US has gone 7 years without a major hurricane (Cat 3+) making landfall - blowing past the previous record set between 1900 and 1906. That does not mean that hurricanes cannot, or will not be dangerous. But the assertion that global warming is making them more frequent and/or more dangerous is obviously flawed.
Technology, such as satellites, computers, and aircraft, has made it much easier to spot and track hurricanes and tropical storms in the modern era. Media proliferation has made it much more accessible for everyone to be aware of hurricanes globally. That would help explain any perceived increase in storms in the last 40 years. 2005 was a deadly year for major hurricanes with 7 in the Atlantic. But even without the advantages of modern technology, that number was matched in 1961, and surpassed in 1950 (8). In the preceding centuries, that number may have been eclipsed several times, but we simply have no accurate records to prove this.
Hurricane Sandy, as destructive as it may have been, was just barely a Category 1 storm when it hit the coast. I'm sure architects and engineers never considered the once a decade possibility of a direct hit from a hurricane as they were building New Jersey and New York. Just like New Orleans would probably not be placed below sea level in prime hurricane country if it were being founded today. Hopefully, in both cases, rebuilding will take into consideration future storms.
Hurricanes come, natural disasters occur, and as Solomon says, there is nothing new under the Sun. Speaking of Scripture, in that same speech to the UN, Al Gore invoked God's Word. He quotes Proverbs 29:18 - where there is no vision, the people perish. He cuts the verse short and uses the King James Version. When you look at this same complete verse in other translations, the meaning becomes much more dynamic.
When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. Proverbs 29:18 NLT
Stay with me while I tie this together. God's Law is simply summed up as - Love your Heavenly Father with all your heart, and love others as yourself. If you love God and others, you do not lie. Nor do you sow fear and deception. Its one thing to promote a belief that mankind is destroying the planet, however wrong and misguided that may be. It takes on a much more sinister nature when you knowingly deceive folks, and then try to profit from it.
There are many reasons why Americans have rejected the global warming hysteria. Chief among these is that many Americans are Christians who know to reject fear, and those that use it for political purposes. I will never be motivated by fear or deception - both weapons of the enemy.
Quite a few Americans, like myself, have also been on this planet long enough to recognize that not every single weather event is the biggest, worst, coldest, warmest, or longest that has ever been. When we hear claims like these, we recognize them as laughable exaggerations. And when these weather events are politicized to push a "green" agenda, we rightly recognize them as propaganda.
Climate change has happened in the past, and will continue to occur in the future, with or without man. And there are far too many factors beyond man's control that influence the global climate, chief among these is the Sun. It is irresponsible to utilize a weather event, such as Hurricane Sandy, and the suffering of those that endure it, to score cheap political points for a highly controversial belief system. But then again idolatry, placing creation and even man above its Creator, has been around since the beginning of time. Solomon had it right, there is nothing new under the Sun.
Related:
Roger Pielke: Hurricanes and Human Choice
