Climate Change and Hurricanes

Carbon emissions from a power plant

With the current devastation seen in the Caribbean due to Hurricane Irma, and the lingering threat that Jose further imposes, one must wonder how has global warming and a changing climate influence the nature of hurricanes over the years?

Human activities such as the increasing output of carbon emissions throughout the world has significantly affected global temperatures over the years, with scientists constantly telling us that the Earth is getting warmer due to these emissions.

Hurricane Irma over the Atlantic Ocean

Tropical cyclones are formed only over warm ocean waters near the equator. Hurricanes, Cyclones and Typhoons are all Tropical Cyclones but can be differentiated by their location. Hurricanes occur in the Atlantic Ocean, Cyclones in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean and Typhoons in the North- West Pacific Ocean.  Tropical cyclones are driven by the transfer of heat from the sea to the air through evaporation. Its maximum wind speed or intensity depends partly on how warm the ocean is and, not surprisingly, the ocean is warming more and more every day due to global warming. If we continue to warm the planet then intense tropical cyclones will become more and more frequent. Research has found that the total number of tropical cyclones will decrease but the number of intense storms will increase. Intense tropical cyclones are the ones that have the potential to do the most damage and while the frequency of these intense storms increase the amount of precipitation (rain) that comes with them will also increase, as warmer air can take in more water before releasing it. With more rain accompanying storms coupled with storm surge from the sea, coastline cities suffer a real threat of being washed away. To make matters worse, the sea levels will continue to rise and the rainfall will continue to increase making the effects of future storms more devastating than the ones we experience today.

This proves that global warming worsens the threat of tropical cyclones and for Caribbean islands the threat is even greater. The Caribbean contributes to global warming less than the majority of countries in the world but suffers the consequences of it the most. We must act now to improve infrastructure and planning in our cities to help prevent great damage from the intense storms of the future. While this is not enough, the importance of reducing carbon emissions and switching to clean energy sources are vital in the fight to preventing the occurrence of these natural disasters.

Damage done by Hurricane Irma

Written By: Andrew Bisnath