Hurricane Harvey, Typhoon Yolanda; Natural Disasters Made Worse By Environmental Degradation

     As the tragedy in Texas and Louisiana continues to unfold, ignoring and failing to do anything about how humans impact the environment is plain folly. Even though it is acknowledged that Hurricane Harvey is a natural occurring disaster, it is also clear that it has been made far worse by human activity.

     Hurricane Harvey is not an isolated disaster. It is another in a series of weather related events that are made far more deadly by the way humans have altered the environment. The burning of fossil fuels and the increase in the release of methane gases and other gases impact climate and ocean temperatures. Increased ocean temperatures - the Gulf of Mexico has been unusually warm- increases the power of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones. Increased heat in the atmosphere contributes to more moisture in the air and increased rainfall. 

     The terrible natural disasters that have occurred in the recent past, including typhoons, cyclones and flooding that have devastated areas in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Haiti, and elsewhere, are not strictly natural events unrelated to human activity. 

      Hurricane Harvey is not an isolated disastrous event. It is part of an increasingly prevalent, dangerous pattern.

      There will be more terrible natural disasters made far worse by how humans have altered the environment. Everything needs to be on the table. Including how floodplains have been degraded or turned into concrete, the role of deforestation, overpopulation, coral reef destruction, seagrass and seabed destruction, and how this results in increased flooding and worsened natural disasters, especially in tropical countries. Burning fossil fuels, the contribution of agribusiness to environmental degradation and to the release of methane gases, the continued destruction of rainforest to make way for palm plantations and other agriculture, and more, all have an impact on climate and the environment. Increased ocean acidification, ocean degradation by plastic and other contaminants, destruction of marine habitats, and more impact the environment in adverse ways not fully realized.

       There are those that will say, do not play politics with natural disasters. Politics are already being played by the failure to inquire and question. The recent disasters, including Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines right up to Hurricane Harvey, are not unrelated events. They are part of the continuing pattern of natural disasters made worse by environmental degradation.

        In regards to typhoon Yolanda, a lot of money was raised to help the victims of that disaster, without serious consideration given to reversing environmental degradation. Most likely with Hurricane Harvey, people will fail to link how environmental degradation (which includes human impact on the oceans and climate) makes natural disasters far more deadly. And even if people do talk about it, they will continue to do nothing.