Climate Change A Key Intensifying Factor
From extreme droughts to punishing tornadoes and hurricanes, from horrendous heat to abnormal hail and deep snows to record-breaking floods, the country has seen some of its worst natural phenomena yet.
OnEarth, an online journal focusing on the environment, lists the states that are worst hit by natural calamities for this year. On top is the Lone Star state. Texas, which at the moment faces its nastiest drought ever, has suffered from a total of eight rampaging disasters.
Second place is Alabama with the biggest tornado incident in the history of the country. Third and fourth place goes to Missouri and North Carolina for the same phenomenon, including for the latter, Hurricane Irene.
Number five is Oklahoma for heat and resulting drought and the occurrence of hailstorms, sixth is Tennessee for floods, Kansas follows with extreme heat and drought, Connecticut comes with early snow and Hurricane Irene, Vermont again with Irene, and lastly New Jersey for Irene and early snow in October.
According to OnEarth, climate change has a marked and tangible role in the occurrence of severe weather conditions. The warming of the earth leads to increased water content and heat in the atmosphere which builds extreme natural phenomena or leads to the complication of already volatile weather conditions. Such are an explosive mix for perfect natural disasters which costs the country billions of dollars lost in agriculture and industry.
While climate change skeptics may maintain their version of reality on these matters, it is undeniable that the continued rise in global temperature has fueled and continues to occur alongside these extreme weather phenomena.