Jeb Bush Urges Climate & Hurricane Scientists To Continue Research

Well, there's a surprise.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida's governor cautiously entered the debate Wednesday over whether rising global temperatures are to blame for an increase in the number of strong hurricanes, meeting with two researchers who say global warming is threatening Florida with a long-term future of more bad storms.

Bush met with Peter Webster and Judith Curry of the Georgia Institute of Technology, who published research last year showing an increase in global hurricane intensity, with a doubling of the number of Category 4 or 5 hurricanes since 1970. That increase coincides with a rise of nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit in ocean surface temperatures, they say. While they agree with other scientists that the Atlantic basin is in a natural cyclical increase in hurricanes, they argue that can't explain by itself such a dramatic increase in strong storms. Warmer temperatures globally mean warmer water, which is what fuels hurricanes.

"It's very complex, but there's one thing that we do know: if you increase these surface temperatures you're going to get more intense hurricanes," said Curry. "I think we can say -- it's not totally conclusive, but with considerable confidence -- that there is this connection between global warming and increased global hurricane intensity and the increased number of hurricanes in the north Atlantic."

There isn't scientific consensus that global temperature increases explain increased hurricane intensity, and there are some researchers who say there isn't a continuing long-term pattern of global warming at all. The debate is something of a storm itself, and Bush joined it cautiously. "He said they presented some pretty compelling information," said Bush spokesman Russell Schweiss, declining to say whether Bush agrees that global warming is increasing the number of strong hurricanes. "He encouraged them to continue with their research."

EDIT

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=10581

You scientists keep publishing your papers, and we'll keep ignoring them. The adults are in charge.

Let's see, reputable scientists come out with studies which show that global warming is man made and it is harming our planet. This is then reported in a news story. Yet somehow in most of these news items there will be a sort of disclaimer that says, "There isn't scientific consensus" on the subject. The interesting thing is that they never include with these disclaimers the scientific studies to support this point. Sometimes they will include a name of a scientist who disputes global warming, but the fact that these so called scientists get paid by corporations that pollute and that they never show any comprehensive study to back op their claims fails to get any reporting.

It's makes me sick. So does Jeb Bush who obviously doesn't give a damn about the environmental well being of the state he is sworn to serve.