James Glassman (hat tip Steven Milloy) reveals the problem with the environmentalists' baseless claims.
Katrina has nothing to do with global warming. Nothing. It has everything to do with the immense forces of nature that have been unleashed many, many times before and the inability of humans, even the most brilliant engineers, to tame these forces.
Giant hurricanes are rare, but they are not new. And they are not increasing. To the contrary. Just go to the website of the National Hurricane Center and check out a table that lists hurricanes by category and decade. The peak for major hurricanes (categories 3,4,5) came in the decades of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, when such storms averaged 9 per decade. In the 1960s, there were 6 such storms; in the 1970s, 4; in the 1980s, 5; in the 1990s, 5; and for 2001-04, there were 3. Category 4 and 5 storms were also more prevalent in the past than they are now. As for Category 5 storms, there have been only three since the 1850s: in the decades of the 1930s, 1960s and 1990s.
Fewer hurricanes in recent years? In wanting you to think otherwise, the environmentalists count on ignorance of history and must themselves be willfully ignorant.
It is a continued failing of human nature. We want to be safe all the time. People think we can be safe if we just engineer better buildings or levees, or reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The fact is the world is a dangerous place. Hurricanes happen weather you drive a hybrid car or an SUV.
It was arrogance that led people to believe the Titanic was unsinkable. It is just as arrogant to believe the Kyoto treaty could have saved people from hurricane Katrina.
