Blown Away in UK

When we think of hurricanes or cyclones we automatically think of the tropics. But Powerful winds could threaten both UK and Europe with the potentially destructive force of a tropical category four hurricane. And all because of global warming.

Why is this happening? There have been large scale changes in the atmosphere itself for example the boundary of the troposphere – where all the weather occurs - has moved higher by 900 feet.

Also the Hadley Cells – the circulation pattern – rising near the Equator – polewards motion in higher up and then descending in the subtropics - have expanded towards the poles by one degree of latitude or 60 nautical miles over the last thirty years.
That change represents a huge volumetric increase in stored heat energy which must be recycled to the poles one way or the other’. It is as if the extra tropic cyclones are part of the planets way of redistributing it.

Last Summer the Global Warming Alliance held a conference at the Institute of Physics Our research has shown an increase in total energy of tropical cyclones of seventy percent, while wind strength itself has increased by fifteen percent. Such an increase in velocity plays out as a doubling in aeronautical force and even more in destructive damage..

The deadly storms that pounded southwest France and northeast Spain this past week end took at least 12 lives. Should these winds hit more densely populated countries and in particular those who are not accustomed to dealing with them these numbers could be greatly increased.

Over the past ten years eighteen ETCs made landfall. We are also seeing typhoon twins or two storms one following another within a day or so. Uk for example, the geographical position where polar air masses meet tropical ones coming up from the equator makes it in particular a fertile breeding ground for tornadoes.

During the half century from 1948 to 1997 thirteen windstorms hit Europe, an average of one every three point eight years.The two most catastrophic in terms of human life, the storms of 1953 and 1962, had almost identical core pressures. Now we are getting extra tropic cyclones with pressures 12 millibars lower than that.

GWA Strong wind warning!

The Global Warming Alliance has issued a warning. Cat 1 Extra tropic Cyclone Alpha 01 heads towards U.K. with potentially gale force winds gusting up to 80 knots or 92 MPH expected along the Irish Sea coast line and across Scotland. An intense Atlantic low with a core pressure of 945 mbs is due to make landfall around midnight Saturday night 17th January . This is the first extra tropic cylone making landfall in 2009. For more information www.globalwarmingalliance.com

Yes We Can!

Yes we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions says the Obama administration in the States. Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu, if his position is confirmed next week, says he is going to pursue all policies to address just that.

Firstly Mr Chu is committed to reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil which is good news indeed for most Americans (for reasons of economy and security as well) but this fact alone has provoked a conflict of opinion. Senators from states with oil and gas reserves see this– that’s cutting back on foreign oil - as a fine opportunity to increase home production. Currently the US produces around 4 per cent of the world’s oil but that apparently doesn’t take into account potentially untapped resources. But Mr Chu’s focus is on weaning Americans off oil and gas altogether. There has been some concern that the effect the credit crunch has had in reducing the costs of cars combined with the drop in the price of oil has been reviving for example the market for gas guzzlers. But the new administration is intent on promoting more energy efficiency as part of their measures to reduce oil imports as well as encouraging the use of bio fuels and solar energy.

The US oil producers are therefore unhappy about the proposed cap-and-trade system in which oil refineries and industrial facilities that have high emissions will have to pay more than those that invest in technologies that curb emissions.

Two Giants Compare

What do the two highest carbon emitters - US and China – have in common apart from both being dependent on imported oil for their transport and using domestic coal to generate power and both being reluctant to reduce emissions? Well very little it would appear. Their energy expenditure patterns are completely dissimilar and reflect two totally different cultural habits. In the US more than 70 per cent of the emissions come from consumerism – as Americans are more inclined to borrow money if needs be and spend it on their homes and cars where as in China 70 per cent of the emissions come from factories making goods which are then exported. Because their citizens spend less on gas guzzling items. Steel production emits twice as much as Chinese households. Aluminium production takes up another large chunk.
Therefore if the US concentrates on consumer reductions such as upgrading the electricity grid, improving fuel economy and weatherizing homes to reduce their 70 per cent and China on reducing its energy-intensive manufacturing and moving to lighter services to reduce their 70 per cent then maybe both super nations will emerge from the global financial crisis with a greener perspective on our world future.