Hurricane Season and Climate Change

Hurricane Michael slammed Florida on October 10. The storm was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to hit the United States and has resulted in at least 18 deaths. The storm destroyed parts of Mexico Beach, Florida, located on the panhandle of the state.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for Hurricane Season and Climate Change

Links

“Michael’s death toll jumps; utter devastation in Panhandle – live updates”
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/hurricane-michael-damage-florida-flooding-georgia-power-outage-weather-deaths-today-live-updates/

“We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns U.N.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report

“Trump on Hurricane Michael response: ‘It’s all getting done’”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-assures-on-hurricane-response-its-all-getting-done

“U.S. National Guard chief: “The climate is changing. I don’t know why.””
https://www.vox.com/2018/10/12/17969730/hurricane-michael-florida-panhandle-mexico-beach

“Hurricane Michael is the strongest storm to hit Florida since 1851. Here’s why, according to scientists”
http://fortune.com/2018/10/10/hurricane-michael-category-4-rapid-intensification-strongest-storm/

“The big lie we’re told about climate change is that it’s our own fault”
https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/10/11/17963772/climate-change-global-warming-natural-disasters

“Trump has already botched his Hurricane Michael response”
http://theweek.com/articles/801293/trump-already-botched-hurricane-michael-response

“Hurricane Michael’s energy toll: Is government response adequate?”
https://www.countable.us/articles/12170-hurricane-michael-s-energy-toll-government-response-adequate

“‘Changed forever’: Florida panhandle devastated by Michael”
https://www.apnews.com/3cdbb4c6702f49eeae0d5fae6b917592

“Yes, Hurricane Michael is a climate change story”
https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/hurricane-michael-climate-change.php

Assessment

Writing: Why is the recent U.N. report on climate changed viewed as a dire warning?
Debate: The federal government’s response to hurricane activity over the past two years has been largely inadequate.
Poll: How many of you believe that U.S. policy makers will act decisively in response to the U.N. climate change report?
Short Answer: How does FEMA normally respond to disasters such as hurricanes?

Current events quiz:

1) According to the Vox article on why we are told climate change is our fault, Earth has warmed up by how many degrees (Celsius)?

a. 1
b. 1.5
c. 2
d. 0.5

2) If the global temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, what are some examples of likely outcomes?

Nothing; only if the Earth’s temperature rises about 3 degrees Celsius will we see irreversible damage
Visibly colder winter months
Erratic weather patterns and dangerous heat waves
Extinction of virtually all animals that live in the Arctic region

3) Florida governor Rick Scott asked President Trump to do which of the following?

Issue a pre-landfall disaster declaration
Send out a text from the Presidential Emergency Alert System, which he did not agree to do
Declare a state of national emergency
Mandate that all Floridians evacuate immediately, so as to hopefully lessen the death toll of the hurricane.

4) Over 500,000 people along the panhandle of Florida were ordered or urged to evacuate prior to Hurricane Michael’s landfall. (T/F)

5) According to the Columbia Journalism Review, climate change can impact all sorts of public spheres, including the economy, immigration, and warfare. (T/F)

6) Environmentalists predict that by the year 2030, our environment will be damaged beyond repair. (T/F)