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In Reply to: climate change posted by Fred on September 02, 2005 at 05:53:52:
U.S. citizens who want unbiased information on climate change can access it through any number of popular science websites and television channels. My favorites are National Geographic & Discovery, because they also have television channels and magazines.
The disaster in New Orleans is not the direct result of the hurricane. The gulf coast has been battered by category-5 hurricanes many times in the history of the U.S. However, there was recent a study published in the Journal of Insurance shwonig that while the number of hurricanes has not changed in the last 50 years, that the intensity and amount of water they carry has. Because the U.S. insurance industry now perceives a huge financial stake in the issue of climate change, we will be hearing from true conservative Republican politicians rather than the flaming liberals like Bush.
What really caused the devastation is the environmental degredation of the wetlands (swamps) in that part of the U.S. These wetlands always acted like a sponge sopping up the water when hurricanes came. These wetlands no longer exist due to irresponsible economic development. The swamps were drained, barracaded by levies, and buildings put up on land that has been sinking below sea level ever since. The land sank for several reasons: 1) the water was removed, 2) the natural flooding of the Mississippi River is kept out by the levies, therefore no silt deposits occurs to rebuild the land, 3) oil & gas are also being pumped out of the deeper layers of bedrock, which may also have contributed to the sinking.
States like Louisiana, Mississippi & Alabama are very poor compared to other regions of the country. Most, if not all, of the devastation of the wetlands in that part of the world has been driven by the desire to increase in the flow of tourist dollars and to support the offshore oil drilling & onshore refineries that make up 10% of U.S. oil. These states need to look at their land use and economic development policies and consider how to use the newer, more expensive technologies that allow for more responsible and equitable development of the region.
