The deniers can deny, the haters can hate and the apologists for the fossil fuel industry can continue to obfuscate, but that doesn't change the fact that 2011 was off the scale as far as extreme weather events in the United States (as well as elsewhere in the world). Here is Bloomberg with the details:
Historic U.S. weather catastrophes took an unprecedented toll in human lives and livelihood in 2011. At least 12 natural disasters wreaked more than $1 billion in damage apiece, according to the U.S. National Climate Data Center. When all the lost crops have been tallied, insurance claims filed and ravaged assets accounted for, the number is likely to be 14, with a total cost of more than $50 billion. The previous high was eight, in 2008.Time will tell, of course, whether the extremes we experienced this past year become the "new normal," or whether things get even worse. But there is one thing for sure: given the fragile state of the U.S. economy, more years like the one we just went through could not possibly happen at a worse time.
The frequency of mass weather calamities has been increasing since 1970, based on records going back to 1910. It's a trend that's "virtually certain" to continue, according to a recent United Nations report by a panel of dozens of scientists. Rising global temperatures put more water vapor in the air, intensifying storms. Climate change also exacerbates the impact of drought, heat waves and wildfires.
Bonus: Just a reminder of how scary the live footage of the Tuscaloosa tornado was
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