[Vision2020] Today's "Democracy Now:" McKibben, Professor Jones, Dr. Masters on Hurricane Sandy

[Ted Moffett]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/150352.shtml?hwind120#contents
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http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2012/10/29/bill_mckibben_on_hurricane_sandy_and

Much of the East Coast is shut down today as residents prepare for
Hurricane Sandy, a massive storm that could impact up to 50 million people
from the Carolinas to Boston. The storm has already killed 66 people in the
Caribbean, where it battered Haiti and Cuba. "This thing is stitched
together from elements natural and unnatural, and it seems poised to cause
real havoc," says Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org. New York and other
cities have shut down schools and transit systems. Hundreds of thousands of
people have already been evacuated. Millions could lose power over the next
day. Meteorologists say Sandy could be the largest storm ever to hit the
U.S. mainland.

The megastorm comes at a time when President Obama and Republican
challenger Mitt Romney have refused to make climate change an issue on the
campaign trail. For the first time since 1984, climate change was never
addressed during a presidential debate. "It’s really important that
everybody, even those who aren’t in the kind of path of this storm, reflect
about what it means that in the warmest year in U.S. history, ... in a year
when we saw, essentially, summer sea ice in the Arctic just vanish before
our eyes, what it means that we’re now seeing storms of this unprecedented
magnitude," McKibben says. "If there was ever a wake-up call, this is it."
We’re also joined by climate scientist Greg Jones from Southern Oregon
University. [includes rush transcript]
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http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2012/10/29/frankenstorm_meteorologist_warns_hurricane_sandy_an

Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy is a rare hybrid superstorm created by an
Arctic jet stream from the north wrapping itself around a tropical storm
from the south. Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at the Weather
Underground, warns that such a "Frankenstorm," as it is called, is an
outgrowth of the extreme weather changes caused by global warming. "When
you do heat the oceans up more, you extend the length of hurricane season,"
Masters says. "There’s been ample evidence over the last decade or so that
hurricane season is getting longer — starts earlier, ends later. You’re
more likely to get these sort of late October storms now, and you’re more
likely to have this sort of situation where a late October storm meets up
with a regular winter low-pressure system and gives us this ridiculous
combination of a nor’easter and a hurricane that comes ashore, bringing all
kinds of destructive effects." We’re also joined by climate scientist Greg
Jones from Southern Oregon University. [includes rush transcript
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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