Federal study: Global warming could mean fewer hurricanes in Atlantic

Georgia’s coast could see fewer hurricanes in the next century. A new study says global warming could reduce the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic ocean.

The theory is that global warming will cause an increase in wind shear over the Atlantic which in turn will lead to fewer hurricanes. Wind shear is produced by the jet stream and it can quell tropical storms as they try to form.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the federal agency that put out the study-it forecasts nearly 20 percent fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic for the next hundred years.

It also concludes global warming will intensify big hurricanes. Critics say take all this with a grain of salt. The debate is strong among meteorologists of just how global warming will impact the Atlantic. The final verdict is still out.

CSU To Examine Global Warming

Columbus State University is joining more than 1,500 U.S. colleges and universities in a “Focus the Nation” teach-in on global warming and potential solutions during the week of Jan. 28.

On Tuesday, Jan. 29, a “Climate Matters” faculty lecture will feature a presentation titled “Snowball Earth: Life Without Global Warming,” and “Alien Atmospheres — Lessons from Venus.”

A flagship event will take place Wednesday, Jan. 30, where participants will view and discuss the “2% Solution” Webcast, from a video produced by the National Wildlife Federation and aired by the Earth Day Network, a university statement said.

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Rhetoric vs. research at legislative hearing on climate change

Rhetoric and research clashed during a hearing Tuesday at the State Capitol called "Climate Change: Fact or Fiction?"

Georgia Tech scientist Robert Dickinson pointed to mounds of data showing acceleration in global warming.

"The present warming is consistent with greenhouse gases and there has been no other explanation that's at all close," he said.

But Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute said global warming was not that big of a deal and there was no reason to rush into policy making.

"I believe this issue is being driven by hysteria right now," he said.

Georgia lawmakers are not in a hurry to do anything. Rep. Jeff Lewis (R-White), who chairs the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee, says other states are moving too quickly to pass pollution-control legislation and could be jeopardizing their economies. He says Georgia will not do the same.

Isakson not convinced of global warming crisis

Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson says he’s seen global warming first-hand, and thinks the U.S. should gradually move away from using fossil fuels. But Isakson says his trip to Greenland did not convince him more urgent steps are needed. He said he and fellow lawmakers viewed massive, melting glaciers and were briefed by U.S. and Danish scientists. But Isakson said he remains unconvinced that the current warming is a departure from long-term natural cycles.

Environmentalists urge gardeners to adjust to global warming

The National Wildlife Federation, Environment Georgia and the Garden Club of Georgia have released "The Gardener's Guide to Global Warming."

The report is based on evidence showing many of Georgia’s common plants won't be so common in the next century, if climate change continues at its current pace.

Georgia's climate is becoming more like that of Florida, and, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, wildfires, droughts, and intense hurricanes will become more common nationwide.

The guide recommends that gardeners plan for these trends. For example, the federation's Sue Sturges says, Georgia will need a new state tree to replace the live oak.

"If I was a developer building a new development, I would not be planting the oaks right now," Sturges says. "I'd be choosing other trees in their place because the oaks are going to die out. It’s inevitable."

Sturges says magnolias will do well in Georgia's changing climate. She also recommends that the loblolly pines now burning in southeastern Georgia wildfires be replaced by hardier longleaf pines.