Article 32F5S Scientific models saved lives from Harvey and Irma. They can from climate change too | Dana Nuccitelli

Scientific models saved lives from Harvey and Irma. They can from climate change too | Dana Nuccitelli

by
Dana Nuccitelli
from on (#32F5S)

Climate models have an even better track record than the weather models that saved lives in Texas and Florida

The impacts of hurricanes Harvey and Irma were blunted because we saw them coming. Weather models accurately predicted the hurricane paths and anticipated their extreme intensities days in advance. This allowed millions of Floridians to evacuate the state, sparing countless lives.

Some contrarians have tried to downplay the rising costs of landfalling hurricanes by claiming they're only more expensive because there are now more people living along the coasts with more expensive stuff vulnerable to hurricane damages. However, those arguments fail to account for our ability to predict hurricane tracks earlier and more accurately by using better and better scientific models. We're able to prepare for hurricanes much better today than in the past because we have more warning.

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