Root cause of floods

Mr. Philip Martin recently filled part of the editorial page with his observations and assessment of rising floodwaters in our fair city. Never once did he mention the root cause of this phenomenon—our climate crisis, nor does this paper (IMO), unless labeled a “hoax.”

Fact is, fundamental physics shows that for every 2 degrees Fahrenheit we warm our planet, we add an additional 8 percent moisture into the atmosphere. Over the past century we have increased global average temperatures by nearly 2 degrees and will be adding many more over the next few decades because of the carbon we have already spewed into the atmosphere, where it will stay for thousands of years. We have also observed an acceleration of the warming process and expect temperatures to rise by an additional 7-11 degrees by the end of the century.

NASA’s top climatologist James Hansen went before Congress 31 years ago this month and explained that mankind was causing the planet to warm, leading to a greenhouse effect creating extreme and frequent weather events such as heat waves, storms, and droughts. Had we followed our scientists’ advice at the time by gradually weening ourselves off fossil fuels, I believe we would not be in a climate crisis of existential proportions and subjected to repeated 500-year floods and droughts per decade.

Mr. Martin, ’tis mankind who is the Leviathan, while the science of physics and hydrology explain the causes and effects of opening Pandora’s climate box.

PETER TRABANT Hot Springs Village