HartfordBusiness.com
Susan E. Coakley
Residents of coastal Connecticut know all too well the damage that hurricanes can do. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy knocked out power to 600,000 people and flooded homes and businesses in Westport, Norwalk and Fairfield. It was merely a matter of luck of the storm’s timing that Connecticut was spared the battering suffered by New York and New Jersey.
Climate scientists tell us that thanks to global warming, storms such as Sandy are more frequent as well as fierce. “Extreme weather” is the new normal, such that destructive “100-year” storms occur more often — even multiple times during our lifetime.
It is beyond dispute by reputable scientists that global warming and associated severe weather is caused by human activities releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, largely from burning fossil fuels to produce energy.
Although global warming impacts — more frequent destructive storms, deadly heat waves and rapid sea level rise — are here to stay, we can still take action to avoid the worst effects. And to their credit, Connecticut political and business leaders are making enormous strides to do just that. For full article.