Clyde Burnett, Peak to Peak.   The IPCC report of 2014 warned of an Earth response to global warming involving climate change with extreme weather. With the increased temperature of global warming, one observes the warmer ocean. This is a huge reservoir of heat energy; the oceans cover 70% of the earth’s surface. The albedo (reflectivity) of water is low, so the energy trapped in the oceans is about 90% of the total energy imbalance due to the enhanced greenhouse effect. Our common observation is that evaporation increases with temperature, so clearly a warmer ocean means more atmospheric water and more latent heat of vaporization stored in the atmosphere. The 10-day water cycle means much more precipitation somewhere, sometime-and simultaneous release of that large latent heat energy.

We experienced flash flooding from rain in South Texas a few months ago and now with the Goliath winter storm we have tornadoes near Dallas, and heavy rain in the Mississippi water shed. Nine tornadoes destroyed 1500 homes in a 40-mile diameter area and there was unusually disastrous December flooding of the Mississippi river and its tributaries. The related blizzard in Texas-New Mexico reportedly killed at least 15,000 dairy cattle.

These are not completely isolated cases. Similar floods are occurring in England and Scotland and South America, and Spain reports 120 wildfires from drought conditions.

One may attribute these worldwide changes to the Pacific El Nino; there is presently an unusually huge area of very warm water in the eastern Pacific, probably Clyde amplified by the increased energy trapped by the greenhouse effect. This will drive changes in the atmospheric circulation, and one expects increased evaporation and a subsequently different pattern of heavier precipitation with this change in circulation. The open water of the Arctic is also believed to alter circulation patterns and the combination of this with the strong El Nino makes for extreme weather, and may have resulted in the Arctic’s 40oF above normal temperature.  One may argue that some of these things have happened in the distant past but this is clearly consistent with the IPCC prediction.

The scenes of destruction shown on the Weather Channel clearly indicate a tremendous cost for reconstruction of tornado and flooding damage. This increasing cost of weather extremes should be compared with the uncertain costs of a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy predicted by politicians and industry. We have not yet even paid for continuing repair of our canyon roads.

Complaints have arisen from property owners in the Florida Keys and the South Florida vegetable farms. The heavy precipitation from a stalled frontal system left 16 inches of street flooding and destroyed the vegetable crops. We have also been warned of a future need for relocation of our coastal cities.

Question: Who pays???

Answer:   Homeowners and businesses bear the primary personal and financial burdens for damage from the Goliath storm. Of course, my income tax and yours are presently helping pay for fixing these things, as well as for continuing some of the salaries and medical insurance of the Congressmen supporting the conditions responsible for these disasters. Isn’t it well past time to stop paying subsidies for fossil fuels?