Hurricane Sandy reignites climate change debate
<p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="devastation">devastation</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="New">New</span> <span word="York">York</span> <span word="City">City</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="eastern">eastern</span> <span word="seaboard">seaboard</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="United">United</span> <span word="States">States</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="Hurricane">Hurricane</span> <span word="Sandy">Sandy</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="reignited">reignited</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="debate">debate</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="warming">warming</span>. <span word="Many">Many</span> <span word="experts">experts</span> <span word="believe">believe</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="warming">warming</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="planet">planet</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="largely">largely</span> <span word="caused">caused</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="burning">burning</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="fossil">fossil</span> <span word="fuels">fuels</span>.</p><p><span word="Hurricane">Hurricane</span> <span word="Sandy">Sandy</span> <span word="cut">cut</span> <span word="power">power</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="about">about</span> 8 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="homes">homes</span>, <span word="shut">shut</span> <span word="down">down</span> 70 <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="East">East</span> <span word="Coast">Coast</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="refineries">refineries</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="exceed">exceed</span>, <span word="economists">economists</span> <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="the">the</span> $15 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="worth">worth</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="damage">damage</span> <span word="caused">caused</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="year">year</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="Hurricane">Hurricane</span> <span word="Irene">Irene</span> <span word="hit">hit</span> <span word="New">New</span> <span word="York">York</span>.</p><p><span word="New">New</span> <span word="York">York</span> <span word="State">State</span> <span word="Governor">Governor</span> <span word="Andrew">Andrew</span> <span word="Cuomo">Cuomo</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="state">state</span> <span word="must">must</span> <span word="adapt">adapt</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="reality">reality</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="frequent">frequent</span> <span word="extreme">extreme</span> <span word="weather">weather</span> <span word="events">events</span>.</p><p><span word="Carol">Carol</span> <span word="Werner">Werner</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Environmental">Environmental</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Energy">Energy</span> <span word="Study">Study</span> <span word="Institute">Institute</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="change">change</span> <span word="scientists">scientists</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="predicted">predicted</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="intense">intense</span> <span word="storms">storms</span>, <span word="droughts">droughts</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="forest">forest</span> <span word="fires">fires</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="result">result</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="rising">rising</span> <span word="temperatures">temperatures</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="sea">sea</span> <span word="levels">levels</span> <span word="caused">caused</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="warming">warming</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Scientists">Scientists</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="warning">warning</span> <span word="us">us</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="decades">decades</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="unfortunately">unfortunately</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="happening">happening</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="earlier">earlier</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="originally">originally</span> <span word="predicted">predicted</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> 80<span word="s">s</span>,” <span word="Werner">Werner</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p><p><span word="But">But</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="change">change</span> <span word="skeptics">skeptics</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="issue">issue</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="argument">argument</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="warming">warming</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="blame">blame</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="intense">intense</span> <span word="storms">storms</span>. <span word="Patrick">Patrick</span> <span word="Michaels">Michaels</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Cato">Cato</span> <span word="Institute">Institute</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="New">New</span> <span word="York">York</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="unlucky">unlucky</span>.</p><p>“<span word="It">It</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="moon">moon</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="fault">fault</span>. <span word="This">This</span> <span word="storm">storm</span> <span word="hit">hit</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="full">full</span> <span word="moon">moon</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="raises">raises</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="tide">tide</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="couple">couple</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="feet">feet</span>, <span word="so">so</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="storm">storm</span> <span word="set">set</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="record">record</span>. <span word="If">If</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="occurred">occurred</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="lunar">lunar</span> <span word="cycle">cycle</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="wouldn">wouldn</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="happened">happened</span>,” <span word="Michaels">Michaels</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p>
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