Can we do anything to stop the next one? Hurricane Ian is moving north after devastating swathes of Florida. But some experts argue that such destruction could have been avoided.
'Life-changing' hurricane smashes into USA
Can we do anything to stop the next one? Hurricane Ian is moving north after devastating swathes of Florida. But some experts argue that such destruction could have been avoided.
<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">Raining pain</h2>
The horror of the hurricane is mind-boggling. Since reaching the coast on Wednesday, it has turned parts of cities into lakes. Winds of 150 mph tore the roof off a hospital. Broken power lines robbed 2.2 million homes of electricity.
The hurricane had already brought chaos to CubaAn island country between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. . The owner of a tobacco farm described it as "apocalypticReferring to the end of the world, or the collapse of civilisation.". Two people died, while 23 migrants were reported lost at sea. In the US, President Joe Biden said Hurricane Ian "could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history".
Florida is no stranger to hurricanes. In 2017 Hurricane Irma caused £46bn of damage, affecting 65,000 homes and buildings.
But according to Bill McKibben, writing in The New Yorker, humans have made the suffering worse. Hurricane Irma shows what happens "when there's too much physical energy... and too little political energy".
Hurricanes, he explains, have been made stronger by global warmingThe Earth is getting hotter due to climate change.. Most1 of the heat trapped in the atmosphere has gone into the oceans rather than the atmosphere. Winds gather speed when they pass over warm water, and this is happening more dramatically.
And because warm air can hold more vapour than cold air can, the rain that hurricanes bring has become even heavier.2
But some people continue to deny climate changeLong-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.. So, in spite of the hurricane threat, more and more homes are being built on the Florida coast.
Denying climate change affects the whole world. Recent rains are said to have flooded a third of Pakistan. Though this was almost certainly an exaggeration,3 the suffering has been enormous.4
Also writing in The New Yorker, Mohammed Hanif calls for reparationsProviding payment to make amends for a wrongdoing. . He says that since Pakistan causes less than 1% of the world's carbon emissions, it should be compensated by the rich people who mainly cause global warming. "They and their governments can and should pay for what they helped to destroy."
Yes: We already have the technology to tackle global warming. All that is needed for businesses and governments to invest in it, which they will do if subjected to enough public pressure.
No: There are too many ignorant people in positions of power. As long as they continue to deny climate change, there is no chance of creating the political will to deal with it.
Or... We should not even attempt to. The Earth always finds a way of regulating itself, and since we caused the problem we have no right to interfere, even if it comes at the cost of our civilisation.
Cuba - An island country between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Apocalyptic - Referring to the end of the world, or the collapse of civilisation.
Global warming - The Earth is getting hotter due to climate change.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Reparations - Providing payment to make amends for a wrongdoing.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Can we do anything to stop the next one? </strong></h5>
‘Life-changing’ hurricane smashes into USA

Glossary
Cuba - An island country between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Apocalyptic - Referring to the end of the world, or the collapse of civilisation.
Global warming - The Earth is getting hotter due to climate change.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Reparations - Providing payment to make amends for a wrongdoing.