From Guest Blogger John Anderson: Climate Change — Are Hurricanes Our Fault?

The world has suffered from several fatal disasters. News of earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other phenomena have shaken us. Most people say that it is nature’s own way of taking revenge against humans’ cruelties. However, could it be nature’s cruelty and not any form of revenge? We have this ecological concept about the balance of nature, and how true is it that humans are pushing down too hard on the other end of this balance?

A hurricane, also known as typhoon, cyclone, or one-eyed monster, is one of the most destructive calamities that could be experienced by our environment. It is a system with nonstop winds of at least 34 meters per second (66 knots) or 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). Hurricane season takes place in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Central Pacific from June 1 to November 30 while in the Eastern Pacific the season is from May 15 to November 30. According to NASA, about 85 hurricanes, typhoons and tropical cyclones occur worldwide each year and some of them, if unfortunate, leave permanent damage.

Hurricanes are formed when warm, moist air from the ocean surface begins to rise rapidly, where it is met by cooler air that causes the warm water vapor to condense and to form storm clouds and drops of rain. The condensation also releases latent heat, which warms the cool air above, causing it to rise and make way for more warm humid air from the ocean below. This process continues. More warm moist air is drawn into the developing storm and more heat is transferred from the surface of the ocean to the atmosphere. This continuing exchange of heat creates a wind pattern that spirals around a calm center, or eye, like water swirling down a drain.

Given this information, we cannot say that humans are directly involved in the process of how hurricanes are formed but since warm waters are concerned, some may attribute that global warming, which is caused by the negligence and carelessness of humans, may be a factor in the formation of hurricanes. We can maybe infer that extreme human activities have greatly affected the earth and the changes in climate is a reason hurricanes are becoming more severe and often. However, there is no official set temperature by which ocean waters must be to produce a hurricane. Steve Lyons, tropical weather expert at The Weather Channel, stated in his blog that sea surface temperature is not all that important in hurricane development. Furthermore, many meteorological experts agree that the increase in severe hurricanes over the past decade is due to natural salinity and temperature changes deep in the Atlantic which is a part of a natural environmental cycle that shifts back and forth every 40-60 years.

Analyze the situation more critically. Yes, we are not directly involved in the formation of hurricanes but does that mean we are completely not to be blamed?

Hurricane is called a natural phenomenon because they are inevitably a part of the ecological balance but the carelessness of humans causes hurricanes to be much catastrophic and disastrous than it already is. Hurricanes cause flood—that much is a given. Heavy rains may come with the powerful and destructive winds. Flood is one thing, but humans make it worse. Yes, the temperature may not contribute to the formation of hurricanes but humans make the effects much worse. Deforestation, mindless waste disposal that cause clogging to waterways, blasting, construction of temporary dams—these activities make our environment unprepared for the natural occurrence of hurricanes. While we are not at fault with how these one-eyed monsters are formed, we are responsible in maintaining and protecting nature. With this, we can tell that we are to be blamed, partly.

While not very explicitly, human activities that tend to alter the ecological system have dangerous effects to the earth and all of its inhabitants. If we keep this up, hurricanes will no doubt result in frequent floods that we may not be able to prevent. If only we take time to care for the nature, our environment will be able to overcome any natural disaster that will come. A hurricane is probably the cruelty of nature, but we can’t blame nature to be cruel to us. She is only returning the favor.