Hurricane man blows into town

By Lois Levin/ Special To The Tab

Those who braved the cold on Feb. 27 to hear MIT Professor Kerry Emanuel's
Environmental Speaker Series lecture at the Newton Library were captivated by his
clear presentation of complex scientific data from his climate modeling research.
Dr Emanuel's data shows that the intensity of
hurricanes in the Atlantic has grown dramatically -
doubled - in the past 30 years. This is due largely to
human activity. We have released enormous amounts
of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by burning
oil and coal to create energy to power factories, heat
our homes and run our automobiles. We have
warmed the oceans, including the areas where
powerful storms are formed, and this translates
directly into more powerful hurricanes, with serious
consequences for coastal areas.
New England is highly vulnerable to hurricanes, which
have occurred at a remarkably steady rate for
centuries, averaging one every five years. As these
storms continue to grow more intense, they place us
at increasingly greater risk. Therefore, while we work
to address global warming, we must also empower
public agencies to plan for and cope with these
storms, which expose us to great physical danger and
financial risk. Insurance companies are already
refusing to provide coverage for storm damage in
many coastal areas.
The lecture, sponsored by the Green Decade Coaltion, will be aired on NewTV later
this spring.

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