“Sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico are all running at or near-record levels this year, just as they did last year,” said climatologist David Zierdan (Florida State University).
Natural disasters are happening everywhere, more recently, hurricanes. But why are these things happening? Well, our planet is warming up and we’re causing it. From burning fossil fuels to cutting down forests, humans have caused our planet to get hotter by 1.8°F (1°C) since the 1900s. This might not seem like a lot, but it’s only going to get worse over time, unless we do something about it.
The whole world is getting affected by global warming, but a recent disaster that we are still recovering from is the hurricanes that hit Florida.
Hurricane Helene struck before Hurricane Milton, as a category 4 hurricane. It spawned in the Caribbean, crossed the Gulf of Mexico, then made its way to Florida. Hurricane Helene was the deadliest hurricane in Florida since Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Milton, a category 5 hurricane, started on October 6, the hurricane rose from the Milton Storm that started on October 5. Hurricane Milton had wind speeds reaching up to 157 mph and formed off the east coast of Mexico, moved through the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, then the Atlantic Ocean. The precipitation in the Hurricane’s path was high, especially in Tampa, Florida.
Due to the hurricanes many Floridians have lost their homes, offices, and more, causing billions of dollars of damage. Roads were torn apart and power went out due to the disastrous hurricanes and storms. Hurricane Helene left 780,000 people without power.
In 2018 Hurricane Michael graced Florida with 160 mph winds. This hurricane impacted almost 50,000 structures and tore down buildings, but in Mexico Beach, Florida, a chain of dome shaped buildings barely got affected by the hurricane.
Due to this discovery, architects and companies are starting to build dome shaped houses and buildings, to hopefully not be affected by the hurricanes.
Global warming is becoming a big problem due to the increase in natural disasters, including hurricanes. Climate change causes more rainfall and water vapor, due to the evaporation of water with earth’s heated climate.
Hurricanes need four ingredients to form, warm ocean water, moisture in the air, low vertical wind shear, and a pre-existing disturbance. Global warming is increasing two of these four factors, making hurricanes more common and stronger.
Global warming is a huge problem, and many people are trying to help stop it. Businesses can play a huge part in stopping global warming, and one business that is working towards their global warming goals is Google. Google is doing their part to limit global warming, some of their goals include reducing 50% of their carbon emissions by 2030 and running on carbon-free energy where they operate. Reaching these goals can greatly reduce carbon emissions and global warming, and if other businesses follow we’ll have a better chance to reduce its negative impact.
In addition to businesses helping prevent global warming, schools and colleges help too. SRV is one example of this. In most of SRV’s car parks, there are solar panels covering the parking spots. These solar panels help reduce the amount of energy our school is using, due to us using solar energy instead. This is one of the many ways SRV is helping to prevent climate change.
To learn more about global warming and climate change I asked Connie Joe, the director of sustainability at BMO, the 8th largest bank in the US, and one of the most sustainable companies in the world, questions on the topic.
Q: What are climate change solutions?
A: “Some solutions are carbon capture and reducing admissions.”
Q: What can people do to help with climate change?
A: “People can consume less or focus on renewable sourced goods, eat less beef, and walk more/cycle.”
Q: Why is climate change happening?
A: “Climate change is happening because we have a lot of people on earth, which means we use resources fast resulting in more carbon emission due to our current industrial practices.”
Q: What is the impact of climate change on business?
A: “Climate change can cause natural disasters which can affect where people work.”
Now that we know why global warming is a big problem and how it causes hurricanes. What can we do to help? There are many things that humans can do to help, but the main idea is reduce your waste and prioritize renewable and sustainable sources. We should reduce the amount of water we use, reduce the amount of food we waste, and reduce the amount of unused power we have. We need to make sure to reduce, reuse, and recycle, if we want to help our planet.