If you paid attention to the news coverage over Sandy you may have noticed that the cable networks not once mentioned global warming as a possible cause – for this supposed once in a lifetime weather event.
Sandy's Impact On Lake Michigan
Though, interestingly this event followed the last one, Irene, by two years. I’m not sure you can fault the cable networks totally on this, since they must report the news as they see it, but I personally think that they are mimicking our two presidential candidates who have decided to make global warming a non-issue in this election year. I suppose a single event can’t make an argument for global warming, (maybe two in two years could), but the size and scope of this weather event should make us all pause and reconsider the variables that made this disaster possible. According to the record books, Sandy has become the worst storm to ever hit New York City, and the last big one that the record books all pointed to happened in 1821. Yes that’s correct 1821. Irene was bad, but not as bad as Sandy has been for New York City. Both Cuomo and Bloomberg are keeping partisan politics out of the current discussion and are both saying that New York City needs to address rising ocean waters and that the city needs to start thinking about investing billions of dollars into protecting the city from future storm surges. Both politicians are calling on representatives to start discussing global warming and how as a nation can we protect the eastern seaboard from future storm surges. Now we just need the presidential candidates to start talking about it, but for some reason no one is willing to discuss the 900 pound gorilla in the room. Sandy should be able to change that.
Photo Credit: John Vlahakis
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