Natural disasters quadrupled in past two decades.
Natural disasters quadrupled in past two decades.
“More than four times the number of natural disasters are occurring now than did two decades ago,” said Oxfam today, largely blaming global warming for the increase in severe weather:
The world suffered about 120 natural disasters per year in the early 1980s, which compared with the current figure of about 500 per year, according to the report. [...]
The number of people affected by extreme natural disasters, meanwhile, has surged by almost 70 percent, from 174 million a year between 1985 to 1994, to 254 million people a year between 1995 to 2004, Oxfam said.
Floods and wind-storms have increased from 60 events in 1980 to 240 last year, with flooding itself up six-fold.
“This is no freak year. It follows a pattern of more frequent, more erratic, more unpredictable and more extreme weather events that are affecting more people,” added Oxfam director Barbara Stocking.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Hey, John… go F- yerself…
Ooops… too late!
Clean up on Aisle One…
November 25th, 2007 at 10:50 pmQ. How many Republicans does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
1. One to deny that the light bulb needs to be changed
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed.
3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb.
4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for darkness.
5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid/cost-plus contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb.
6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a stepladder under the
banner: “Light Bulb Change Accomplished.”
7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark.
8. One to viciously smear #7.
9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light bulb changing policy all along.
10. Finally, Joe Lieberman to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing the light bulb and screwing the country
November 25th, 2007 at 11:00 pmHow many GOOPers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Oops! Too late… someone already stole it.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:02 pmActually, that’s very funny, delafield, and sadly, true.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:03 pmThanks, John Kerry, every once in a while you get one right.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:04 pmThe only fault is to be doled out is to the population of the planet earth.
Why is someone trying to pin it on a president?
That’s just stupid.
We are ALL inhabitants of this planet and we’d better get our heads out of our butts if we are to save each other.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:05 pmOh, it’s all in God’s Master Plan. I have it from good authority (Free Republic) that this is part of a cycle that repeats every… oh.. 15000 years or so.
Since mankind has only been here for about 6000 years max, we are not really aware of this scientific but really, there’s nothing to worry about. God gave us this world to fock as we see fit. It says so right in the Bible so we know this to be true.
Pollute the air, land, lakes, seas and food sources as you see fit. God will make sure it all turns out well in the end.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:07 pmYeah, Abby.
He’ll “smite” us all with a fireball. (just what GWB wants)
November 25th, 2007 at 11:11 pm:P
I think the train wrecks and plane crashes are more likely the legacy of Ron Reagan.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:42 pmWell, while we’re all waiting and hoping for some sanity out of Washington on this issue (good luck!), we should all do what we can within our own lives.
You know, turn off appliances when not in use. In fact, use the power strip to shut them off, appliances still use power in the ready mode.
Fluorescent bulbs in everything.
Use reusable bags when shopping.
Water savers on all the faucets.
Turn off the computer and printer when not in use. They use lots of power.
http://www.idealbite.com has lots of practical, sustainable ideas.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:51 pmI told ya’ll to repent years ago. I just talked with God and he’s even more pissed than I told you he was.
-Jerry Falwell’s Holy Ghost
November 26th, 2007 at 12:07 amComment by John Kerry — November 25, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
Gee, JK, yer really quite the card. Ya must be a comic – “nutters” – whattahoot! Gittin’ multiple 100Ks of Iraqis killed over lies – hey that’s F-in’ HYSTERICAL! Yer testin’ yer material fer the Half Hr News Hr, right? Yer gonna be the next Dennis Miller… Ooops! Too late.
The Half Hr News Hr is ALREADY gone. Geez, w/ talent Oxycon Rush and Mann Coulter on board, you’d think it’d be a huge success, ya know, like John Stewart or An Inconvenient Truth. Hey, I hear Krusty Kreme is hiring. Or Krusty Something. I’m sure you’ll fit right in, or fit it right in.
November 26th, 2007 at 12:11 ampoor john, trying to save the legacy of George Bush from that of Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and Dennis Miller. Oh, well, too little, too late. You sure are a lame troll, jk.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:18 amDelafield, please finish your list! You have the first 10 GOP bulb changers, but what about the other 901?
November 26th, 2007 at 1:19 amOK, let me be the first to say it! This was all George Bush’s fault!
Comment by John Kerry — November 25, 2007 @ 10:48 pm
Here is what you meant to say: “Let me be the first troll to raise a diversionary straw man in mindless defense to my beloved leader Bush.”
November 26th, 2007 at 2:52 amThe average global population between 1985 and 1995 was ~5.3 billion. The average global population between 1995 and 2005 was ~6.1 billion.
That’s an increase of 15%, which Oxfam did not take into account. The increase in population would most likely not result in a linear increase in the amount affected by natural disasters, either, since there are general trends towards more people living in urban centers, which will affect the numbers in a non-linear fashion.
Comment by DreamCrusher — November 26, 2007 @ 4:52 am
Explain how this doesn’t further prove the point that human activity (i.e. overpopulation and over-urbanization) is leading to more frequent and more damaging natural disasters.
November 26th, 2007 at 6:41 amIt’s overpopulation that is causing the problems, not (anthropogenic) global warming/climate change. By focusing on the latter rather than the former, Oxfam, and Think Progress by extension, is doing everyone a great disservice.
Comment by DreamCrusher — November 26, 2007 @ 6:47 am
Overpopulation and urbanization are both causes and consequences of global climate change, and are thus part of the cause and consequence of worsening weather patterns. This is a really simple concept – you shouldn’t be having so much difficulty with it.
November 26th, 2007 at 6:52 amIt’s overpopulation that is causing the problems, not (anthropogenic) global warming/climate change. By focusing on the latter rather than the former, Oxfam, and Think Progress by extension, is doing everyone a great disservice.
Comment by DreamCrusher — November 26, 2007 @ 6:47 am
And if you actually read the Oxfam report, you’ll see that they take population growth into account. They also take poverty and gender disparity into account as contributing to the severity of disasters. The only one doing a “great disservice” anywhere are science deniers like yourself.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:03 amDreamCrusher
Overpopulation is basically when our population is too large to be sustainably maintained by the resources available to us.
Global warming reduces those resources available to us by changing the climate in such a way that resources we have relied upon up until now, can no longer survive in their present locations.
For example, wheat yields drop when their is too much or too little rain, overly warm weather is cutting into wood production due to certain pests now surviving winter more easily, and where we can easily live is being impacted by worse fire and drought conditions (As in the global spate of fires we had last year.)
Thus, while it doesn’t cause the number of humans to go up, Global warming does increase overpopulation by limiting the resources available to us.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:40 amEh, already thinking like its 2008. This year.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:43 amSeriously though, do explain how overpopulation and urbanization is a consequence of global warming. What, people move closer together and make more babies when it’s hotter?
Comment by DreamCrusher — November 26, 2007 @ 7:04 am
Yes, exactly. It’s not the heat, per se – it’s the lowered crop yields and desertification, two other symptoms of climate change, that drive migration and urbanization. And when rural livelihoods are disrupted, the inclination of many families is to have more children in cultures such as Africa and South Asia where your children are your retirement plan.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:44 amBruce and toasterhead:
You’re wasting your breath. The flat earthers will never be convinced by science, logic or reason.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:27 amFrosty Cupcake
The trouble is, stupid spreads. What we are doing here is trying to contain it within the current troll, rather then end up with the lurkers getting infected.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:41 am:-)
Point taken, Bruce.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:52 amI’m shocked that Daryll hasn’t been here telling us about God’s punishment for our wicked ways!
November 26th, 2007 at 9:46 amJohn Kerry (The poster)
While you might want to live in a third world hellhole, the rest of us don’t.
I will not say that if you want to live in a third world country you can always emmigrate however, seen as the Eastern DRC’s standards are too high for you to meet – after all, you are simply a whiny, stupid, humourless, ignorant jackass who champions torture, stuffing up the global environment, poverty, genocide and the general abandonment of all things good and decent; they have plenty of your type there already.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:34 amOh, and to the lurkers: If you think my post is being purely abusive:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0815-05.htm
That was from 2006. What happened this year? Just a quick sampling.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21405632
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article.php?a_id=112480
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-06/30/content_906776.htm
November 27th, 2007 at 3:41 amDreamCrusher
Okay, so how would you organise moving your entire country’s wheat production to areas which were previously unsuited to wheat production?
Also, as these areas are smaller, or have infrastructure less suited to wheat production (Seen as they weren’t producing wheat before) how do you propose the world pay for the massive expense involved in putting in that infrastructure suddenly rather then over a period of decades, or in some cases, centuries?
And lets not forget that there is more to farming then the weather, what about soil quality in those areas which now have suitable rainfall and weather patterns? What about clearing out the old vegetation and the farmers in those areas who have spent their entire lives farming that vegetation? Farming oranges is quite different to farming sugar, wheat or maize.
And lets not forget that with global warming, the weather pattern is changing in upredictable ways, so for how long will those new areas prove suitable for farming those crops?
Do you honestly think that as “easy as that” wood production, which can take years to produce its first crops, can move to a new location?
As to last years fires, I actually meant this year, with fires of unusual intensity and frequency occurring in South Africa, California and Cyprus. Further, fires in America have become, over the last 5 years, seasonal events, showing that this is not an isolated series of incidents.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:54 amThe flooding of New Orleans was not caused by the weather. It was caused by crappy levees.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:42 pmcrassus
Crappy levees which the Republican Congress refused to upgrade when the US’ civil engineers pointed out that they were, indeed, crappy.
In fact, the Republican Congress slashed funding towards maintaining those levees in the name of building a bridge to nowhere in Alaska.
Oh, and the weather kind of brought the whole thing to a head.
November 28th, 2007 at 2:04 am