A group trying to highlight and co-ordinate worldwide coverage of climate change is now blaming “superheated oceans” for damaging hurricanes..A commentary by Covering Climate Now (CCN) editors sent to journalists on its subscription list began with a quote Al Gore made 18 years ago following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans..“This is only the first sip, the first foretaste, of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year-by-year until … [we] connect the dots,” Gore said..The editors claim, “The intervening years have borne out Gore’s baleful prediction. Fossil fuel burning has soared, pushing global temperatures higher and fueling more and more extreme weather. Record heat has been the most obvious result this Northern Hemisphere summer, but hurricanes may be next.”.CCN pointed to the 125 mph winds of Hurricane Idalia as proof..Tallahassee, the Florida capital, “may be uninhabitable for several weeks or months,” NBC News reported, citing the National Weather Service..The CBC recently made the same connection. An article under “science” said, “Climate change, warming oceans causing more rapid intensification in hurricanes..” Idalia was cited as proof..CCN wants this kind of coverage to continue through September and October..“The Atlantic hurricane season lasts until November 1 — and peaks between now and October — so it’s crucial for newsrooms to get up to speed on how hurricanes are connected to climate change."."Journalists can refer to CCNow’s guides “Extreme Weather” and “Making the Climate Connection” and Climate Central’s “Extreme Weather Toolkit.” They can also join us next Wednesday, Sept. 6, for a Talking Shop webinar …[on] best practices for covering hurricanes when the planet is on fire.”.CCN cited Texas state climatologist Andrew Dessler whose commentary stated hurricanes are worse now for three reasons: sea levels are higher, so storm surges crest farther inland; more rain falls in a shorter time, stressing drainage systems; and hurricanes themselves are stronger, as shown by more Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes..“Driving all this: The world’s oceans are hotter than ever in recorded history, thanks to global warming, and hot oceans are food for hurricanes. Every 1 degree Celsius increase in ocean temperature increases a hurricane’s destructive potential by 50%," Jeff Masters, a meteorologist at Yale Climate Connection, told Bloomberg Green.”.Then again, this isn’t the whole story, CCN admits..“There are caveats. Hurricanes are caused by multiple factors; extra hot ocean water alone does not guarantee that a hurricane will form; wind shear also matters. And while climate change is making hurricanes more destructive, it is not necessarily increasing their absolute number,” the editors write..Nevertheless, the climate editors are sure Al Gore was right and the latest hurricane is evidence..“Hurricane Idalia is the latest incarnation of ‘the bitter cup’ Gore warned about 18 years ago. It will not be the last. News coverage should help audiences understand: The extreme weather that has been battering so much of the planet will only get worse until humans stop burning oil, gas and coal. It’s that simple.”.CCN is also hosting a “Climate Changes Everything” conference Sept. 21 to 22 at Columbia University in New York City to bring together leading climate journalists so they can “move forward, together” to connect current events to climate change and drive momentum against greenhouse gas emissions..An aspect of media coverage they may address was also mentioned in the latest newsletter: a “worrisome trend” of “global activist peril.”.“Around the world, climate and environmental protesters are increasingly harassed, attacked and arrested. New laws are imposing severe penalties on protesters, corporations are suing them, and governments are labeling them ‘domestic terrorists.’" .“The media often emphasize activists’ disruptive tactics over their climate goals.”
A group trying to highlight and co-ordinate worldwide coverage of climate change is now blaming “superheated oceans” for damaging hurricanes..A commentary by Covering Climate Now (CCN) editors sent to journalists on its subscription list began with a quote Al Gore made 18 years ago following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans..“This is only the first sip, the first foretaste, of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year-by-year until … [we] connect the dots,” Gore said..The editors claim, “The intervening years have borne out Gore’s baleful prediction. Fossil fuel burning has soared, pushing global temperatures higher and fueling more and more extreme weather. Record heat has been the most obvious result this Northern Hemisphere summer, but hurricanes may be next.”.CCN pointed to the 125 mph winds of Hurricane Idalia as proof..Tallahassee, the Florida capital, “may be uninhabitable for several weeks or months,” NBC News reported, citing the National Weather Service..The CBC recently made the same connection. An article under “science” said, “Climate change, warming oceans causing more rapid intensification in hurricanes..” Idalia was cited as proof..CCN wants this kind of coverage to continue through September and October..“The Atlantic hurricane season lasts until November 1 — and peaks between now and October — so it’s crucial for newsrooms to get up to speed on how hurricanes are connected to climate change."."Journalists can refer to CCNow’s guides “Extreme Weather” and “Making the Climate Connection” and Climate Central’s “Extreme Weather Toolkit.” They can also join us next Wednesday, Sept. 6, for a Talking Shop webinar …[on] best practices for covering hurricanes when the planet is on fire.”.CCN cited Texas state climatologist Andrew Dessler whose commentary stated hurricanes are worse now for three reasons: sea levels are higher, so storm surges crest farther inland; more rain falls in a shorter time, stressing drainage systems; and hurricanes themselves are stronger, as shown by more Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes..“Driving all this: The world’s oceans are hotter than ever in recorded history, thanks to global warming, and hot oceans are food for hurricanes. Every 1 degree Celsius increase in ocean temperature increases a hurricane’s destructive potential by 50%," Jeff Masters, a meteorologist at Yale Climate Connection, told Bloomberg Green.”.Then again, this isn’t the whole story, CCN admits..“There are caveats. Hurricanes are caused by multiple factors; extra hot ocean water alone does not guarantee that a hurricane will form; wind shear also matters. And while climate change is making hurricanes more destructive, it is not necessarily increasing their absolute number,” the editors write..Nevertheless, the climate editors are sure Al Gore was right and the latest hurricane is evidence..“Hurricane Idalia is the latest incarnation of ‘the bitter cup’ Gore warned about 18 years ago. It will not be the last. News coverage should help audiences understand: The extreme weather that has been battering so much of the planet will only get worse until humans stop burning oil, gas and coal. It’s that simple.”.CCN is also hosting a “Climate Changes Everything” conference Sept. 21 to 22 at Columbia University in New York City to bring together leading climate journalists so they can “move forward, together” to connect current events to climate change and drive momentum against greenhouse gas emissions..An aspect of media coverage they may address was also mentioned in the latest newsletter: a “worrisome trend” of “global activist peril.”.“Around the world, climate and environmental protesters are increasingly harassed, attacked and arrested. New laws are imposing severe penalties on protesters, corporations are suing them, and governments are labeling them ‘domestic terrorists.’" .“The media often emphasize activists’ disruptive tactics over their climate goals.”
