Top researchers now agree that the world is likely to face stronger but fewer hurricanes in the future because of global warming.... Overall strength of storms as measured in wind speed would rise by two to 11 per cent, but there would be between six and 34 per cent fewer storms in number. Essentially, there would be fewer weak and moderate storms and more of the big damaging ones, which also are projected to be stronger due to warming. An 11 per cent increase in wind speed translates to roughly a 60 per cent increase in damage, said study co-author Kerry Emanuel, a professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Interestingly, the article's commenters include climate change deniers. Examples: "Oh here we go again - more alarmist poppycock. " and "Once again, "settled science" on a matter than cannot currently be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Someone tell these people that an example of "settled science" is a round earth. Another example is gravity." Of course, both commenters have Phds in climatology. And could someone point out to the second person I quoted that the theory of gravity has been revised and amended. Or does he think Einstein was a fraud?
Climate change deniers cannot be reached with reason and evidence: activists must create a culture where community pressure forces deniers to act. It can be done - think of how our view of smoking has changed - smokers don't smoke inside anymore . (Interestingly, many big name climate deniers worked on denying that smoking kills.)
How is the overall strength of storms, measured in wind speed, expected to change due to global warming, and what impact could this have on the damage caused by hurricanes?
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