Last year, about this time, a "super typhoon" rather infamously hit the Philippines. It was named Haiyan and the strength and power and destruction was rather legendary.
Right this moment, just now, a second "super typhoon" is building and bearing down on the Philippines, once again:
Super Typhoon Hagupit may try for a near-repeat of deadly typhoon Haiyan
Super Typhoon Hagupit may be peaking in strength this morning, with maximum sustained winds of about 170 miles per hour. All weather agencies, from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in the U.S. to the Philippines' own agency known as PAGASA, now forecast the storm making a slow trek across several Philippine islands starting on Saturday. However, these agencies still disagree on the storm track and intensity, and the specifics are going to matter a great deal.
If there is some good news, it is that, so far, it is not as powerful---yet---as Haiyan. Not quite.
It will not be nearly as intense as Super Typhoon Haiyan was last year when that storm made landfall near Tacloban in the central Philippines. Still, Hagupit, also known as Typhoon Ruby in the Philippines, poses a multitude of life-threatening risks, from rainfall-induced landslides to high winds and storm surge flooding.
All that said, however, though Hagupit won't be quite as strong as its predecessor, it will be strong, it will be big, widespread and it has the potential to be destructive, likely quite so, and deadly.
Haiyan opened eyes, so to speak, with its power, naturally (no pun intended). And again, naturally, people who have accepted the overall scientific and science-backed opinion of not just climate change but human made climate change mentioned then that this storm and its effects were a part of that very meteorological change and development.
Now, with this new storm, especially on top of all the other rather historic storms and weather events, from Hurricane Katrina, now years ago, to the rather phenomenal 9 foot snow event last week in Buffalo, New York that nearly immediately changed to 60 degrees the following Monday, I believe more and more people are beginning to notice. And maybe believe.
I think they're quite possibly, quite likely beginning to accept and believe that human-influenced climate change has taken place and is. As just one example, look at this:
223 firms back EPA power plant rule: Companies Sign Letter Supporting 30% Carbon Cut
More than 200 U.S. companies came together Tuesday to support a major reduction in carbon pollution from power plants proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"As businesses concerned about the immediate and long-term implications of climate change, we strongly support the principles behind the draft carbon pollution standard for existing power plants," states a letter that was sent to the EPA, the Obama administration and congressional leaders.
Major brand names and Fortune 500 companies -- including Kellogg's, Starbucks, Ikea, Levi Strauss and Nestlé -- were among the 223 companies that signed the letter.
And then there's this, with the US military supporting action on climate change:
Even our military thinks we may well, we likely will be fighting climate change.
Perhaps we should listen to the military as well as the scientists.
If not to Mother Nature herself.
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