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Desiree Nixon

Ms. Self

Grammar and Composition

17 December 2018

Total Wreckage: How Climate Change Is the Biggest Influence on Severe Storms

It was a warm, muggy May afternoon, and storms were on the horizon. Although life was

going on as normal, a high school graduation just concluded, and one student, Tina, was ready to

plan the rest of her life. She was going to go to college for medicine. Little did she know that her

life was about to change in an instant. Unfortunately, Tina and everyone, had no idea these

storms were not just a little bit of rain, wind, or hail. On May 22, 2011, carnage struck the

Midwest; Joplin, Missouri was hit by multiple tornados all ranking a level 5 on the Enhanced

Fujita scale, a meteorological scale that measures damage produced from a tornado. The

National Weather Service from Springfield, Missouri expressed dire warning as this was

massive. They could see the wreckage on radar in a signature known as a debris ball; it was

intense. This was one of the first of many instances in which multiple vortices became the

strongest they could and merged together to destroy. Within the next few years, similar instances

have happened like Tina’s: Dodge City, Kansas; Moore, Oklahoma; and El Reno, Texas just to

name a few. Each of these have caused massive economic burdens and causalities. Specifically,

the Joplin tornado costed 158 deaths and 2.8 billion dollars in damage. Tornadic weather events

are normal for May, however, multiple tornados in one area, on one road, that raise the

possibility of making an EF-6 category on the scale are not normal. Scientists all over are trying

to find a reason why unfortunately there is a link between severe storms and climate change.
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Storms that used to be normal are changing. Climate change is influencing the frequency and

severity of storms and we can do our part to change it.

Climate influences the weather; however, it is not the weather. Climate and weather are

two totally different things. Nonetheless, the two are often misunderstood. Arguing exactly that

climate and weather are different, Dr. Michael B. Richman, an Edith Kinney Gaylord

I Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma, states that [the current elements of weather

are recognized as how hot or cold the air is, how moist the air is, how much moisture is falling
1
through the sky, how many clouds are present, how far one can see, and the pressure differences

which can cause a breeze. All of these factors play a role on the day to day existence and things

done on each of these days. As opposed to climate, weather is the small changes that occur in the

troposphere] (Richman). This helps to draw the conclusion that weather is more of what is

happening right now. Climate is something else. To further explain Dr. Richman goes on to say,
I [many climate groups are found by adding up and dividing by the number of factors added this

finds the differences of climate in that space. Climate is the non-fast changes in the air, ocean,
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and on the surface of the Earth] (Richman). These facts help to bring to light that weather and

climate are different subject matters. However, the weather is being influenced by the changing

climate. Global warming is creating different wind patterns and ocean currents. Weather feeds

off of the different air circulation areas and moisture over certain parts of the world. Without

either of those there would be no weather. However, both of those are prevalent and intense with

the changing climate. This is causing a shift in weather patterns.

The climate is evolving due to a variety of factors including volcanic eruptions, and

variations in light, however, prominently from human influence. Humans are impacting climate

change drastically through the incineration of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel burning occurs in a
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multitude of things including energy production, product production, and transportation. The

biggest influence comes from greenhouse gases. People are the largest generators through a

process known as the greenhouse effect and each of those things above produce greenhouse

gases. As those gases are put into the air they trap in more heat. That heat then warms up the

earth. To support this claim, Michael Oppenheimer, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of

Geosciences and International Affairs at Princeton University, and Jesse K. Anttila-Huges, an

assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, state,

[the emissions from particular business, the destruction of woodland areas, specific processes in
3
farming that release harmful gases, and the drilling and ignition of fossil fuels have risen carbon

dioxide levels greater than 40 percent compared to the pre-modernization level] (Oppenheimer

and Anttila-Hughes 13).” These authors confirm that humans are the biggest influencer of

climate change. There is some greenhouse gas production from natural sources; however, when

looking at these on the global scale, human impact is unprecedented. These changes are

happening much faster than they would be naturally. Regardless of this, humans are not stopping

their emissions and the temperature is only raising. To further support this claim, Michael Le

Page states, [many humans currently on Earth will more than likely not deal with the effects of

climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change produced a study in 2007 that
4 stated a 4°C temperature increase before 2100; it has been said that a 2°C increase should be

prevented] (Le Page). This helps draw the conclusion that storms are going to keep getting

intense as humans are not looking to change their ways any time soon or decease before they

can. The rising temperatures cause different weather patterns that are leading to more damaging

atmospheric events. Without immediate change the impacts of this devastating phenomenon will

continue; lives will be lost, children will die.

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Climate change influences mid-west types of storms, causing massacres, it also

influences tropical storms. In fact, many argue that it influences tropical storms more than others

because tropical storms are directly fed from ocean currents. Ocean currents provide energy for

storms; warmer currents have more energy. However, the way in which it influences hurricanes

is different than the initial perspective. In a discussion between the relationship of climate

change and severity of hurricanes, Deutsche Welle World published an article that includes,

[global warming impacted the drastic rainfall amounts. During Hurricane Harvey, the major
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effect was precipitation on land areas] (Deutsche Welle World). This article helps to support that

climate change is influencing hurricanes by making the rainfall more intense. Hurricane Harvey

is not the only example of climate change influencing hurricanes. In fact, there are more

examples with a more dramatic tie to climate change due to its effects. In Hawaii, they are

experiencing the traumatic effects of this phenomenon. In an article published in “Science”

magazine Warren Cornwall states, [the increase in greenhouse gases in 2014 have led to the
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boost in hurricanes that were located near Hawaii] (Cornwall). This statement proves that

hurricanes are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change. They are causing issues

within the coastal areas. This is a global phenomenon not centered in one specific area of the

globe. Many people’s homes are being destroyed, think you could have woke up thinking you

will live in one place for the rest of your life and within minutes its gone forever. Hurricanes are

doing just this to millions of coastal residents.

In addition to hurricanes impacting the coastal areas of the country, water is impacting

those same areas without any prompting from a hurricane. Inland flooding is becoming a

massive issue on days that would otherwise just be considered a nice rain day. To prove this
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proclamation, Michael Oppenheimer and Jesse K. Anttila-Hughes claim that [the drastic amounts
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7 of rain are what is causing the flooding on land. It becomes stronger when moisture from the

coast increases. This results on days that would have had average precipitation falling]

(Oppenheimer and Anttila-Hughes 18). This helps to solidify the argument that even without

hurricanes, coastal areas are still being impacted by the devastating severe storms that are

increasing due to climate change. Flooding is becoming a horrific issue that is making life

troublesome for those living on the coast. The increase in moisture from climate change has

increased the number of severe storms. Unfortunately, coastal areas are not the only ones who

are experiencing an increase in flooding. On the United States, main land and other main lands in

the world, there has been an influx in flooding. This can be proven in a statement by Greg

O’Hare which states, [in 1980 there was a third of the amount of powerful wind-charged storms
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and flooding throughout the globe, according to Munich Re, in 2010. Just a year later in 2011,

the IPCC reiterated that the weather is changing more often and becoming stronger with a wider

range of days they last which occurs all over the globe] (O’Hare 133). This solidifies the claim

that all areas on earth have an increase in flooding and severe storms, not just coastal areas. The

IPCC governs all bodies of land on the earth. This is not just an organization that finds

information on coastal areas it focuses its resources on the whole planet. All of the planet has

experienced an increase in flooding as a result of climate change.

On a more obvious note, climate change is also causing more heat waves. The oceans are

not the only thing that is beginning to swelter. The air temperature is also heating up because of

climate change. In many parts of the world there are hundreds of men, women, children, and

elderly dying as a result of global warming. Areas of the world that are not used to experiencing

the great effects of heat are not prepared to deal with it. There are many different sources that

will agree with this including the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA). In an
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article published on their website they go into a description of the heat waves being influenced

by the climate it states [there are “once-in-20-year” days of extreme heat. These are expected to
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happen without exception in rotations of two to three days by the end of the 200’s. This is

expected to happen all over the county. The extremely dry spells that happen in the south and

west that occur for weeks are expected to become more extreme] (“Global Climate Change:

Effects”). By looking at all this information, you can assume that climate change is influencing

heat on the planet. It is creating a growing issue that many nations are having to deal with.

Interestingly enough, NASA is not the only organization that supports the claim that climate

change is creating more heat waves and droughts. As mentioned above, climate change is

influencing the winds. That wind influence is enhancing droughts by drying out the soil. To

agree with this fact, Anu Narayanan and others claim, [fires that howl through forests and the

extremely dry land that is present in many areas are effected by the speed in which the wind is
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going. This is an effect of climate change, also known as a “climate stressor.” Drastic wind

speeds are not looked at for their effects alone; they are observed for their causes such as

hurricanes, thunderstorms, droughts, or wildfires] (Narayanan et al. 43). This helps solidify the

argument that climate change is making droughts worse. Those droughts are having

tremendously damaging effects. Wildfires are feeding off of the winds. Although it may seem to

some skeptics that these are just broad examples that do not provide actual examples, therefore

these statements are wrong. Michael Le Page, published a specific instance in France where

multiple people died, that proves the skeptics wrong, it states, [the skin perspires to bring down

11 the temperature of it. However, in moist conditions it is not as successful. The air temperature is

not the most important; the temperature on the human epidermis is. The negative impacts of this

were an effect in August 2003 during a heatwave in Europe. This was not the only effect. In the
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country of France, 70,000 people died as a result of 40°C days that lasts a week. Bodies were put

into a cooled warehouse that surrounded Paris] (Le Page). This helps solidify the argument that

climate change is increasing the severity of droughts which is creating a world health issue. The

most vulnerable and innocent members of the world are being killed in a devastating

phenomenon that humans are causing. Droughts are arguably one of the worst results of global

warming. People need water to survive. However, global warming is limiting the amount of

water present on earth. Ironically, global warming is limiting the amount of water on Earth. This

is creating detrimental effects.

Many who argue against the relationship between climate change and severe weather will

point out that they believe that the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the main influencer

in severe weather. ENSO is the warming and cooling over the Pacific Ocean that has occurred

for billions of years. This makes ENSO an annual effect, to support this, Paul J. Smith claims,

[El Nino Southern Oscillation known as ENSO is found in the ocean. Specifically, the Pacific
12 Ocean. This stretches from Indonesia to Ecuador. This is an anomaly that is very significant and

has variation known as El Nino and La Nina] (Smith 273). This piece of writing helps to solidify

the point that ENSO is important to the climate over the course of a year, however, it is not the

main contributor to global increase in severe storms. It is only just a cycle that is responsible for

little variation. To help support this Harold Brooks, Senior Research Scientist at the National

I Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma states, [El Nino and La Nina are like walking a

dog. The dog may go to the left or the right of where it is supposed to be; were the human is

13 guiding it. The road has no curves. If you were to average the walk, the dog is practically going

directly forward and the human is in charge of its motion. Greenhouse gasses (carbon dioxide)

are the human’s influence on the dog, straight forward. The ENSO patterns are the slight
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deviation the dog causes] (Brooks). This statement proves that temperatures may vary a bit from

ENSO however, they are being led by human influence. Humans are drastically changing the

motion of the temperature; much like they would influence a dog. This helps to disprove the

claim from skeptics that ENSO is the cause of an increase in severe weather not global warming.

ENSO impacts the weather for a short period of time. The human impact from global warming is

having effects that are proving to last much longer than the short life of ENSO’s effects.

Scientists understand the relationship between severe storms and climate change. They

are trying to influence the public’s opinion. In fact, scientists have tried to make a change on the

publics opinion since the early 1950’s. Severe storms have been one of the causes for scientists

to try and raise awareness. Scientists recognized the fact that storms were increasing and there

needed to be attention brought to this, unfortunately this has come with criticism. To support this

claim in an article written by So Young Kim and Yael Wolinsky-Nahmias it states, [global

warming has caused multiple arguments between nations about their responsibility and changes
14 they can make. The increased exposure and press coverage could have led to this. But, it is not

creating any uniform changes. Although, science is providing more evidence of the extreme

changes and hazards linked to global warming. Many citizens witness visual evidence of ice caps

crumbling, lack of rain causing droughts, as well as other things] (Kim and Wolinsky-Nahmias).

This statement helps to prove that climate change has been an ongoing debate in this country. It

is causing serious issues with the weather and nature, but many people do not seem to care about

trying to change it. Scientists are doing their best to raise awareness to this horrific issue and

with the help of the media change is happening. To further explain this, Andrea C Nakaya states,

[a poll completed in 2015 by Gallup among Americans found no uniform thoughts on global
15
warming and the news coverage. Nearly forty-two percent thought the warming was blown out
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of proportion on the news. However, thirty-five percent thought that it was not exaggerated

15 enough. Only twenty-one percent thought that the coverage was fairly straight forward. In

conclusion, this shows the arguing is not only among scientists. It is within the citizens]

(Nakaya) This helps to draw the conclusion, that the majority of America is beginning to realize

climate change is an issue. This sudden realization can be linked to the increased media coverage

of severe storms. Footage is there making it difficult to just turn a head to the drowning or

dehydrated children that are dying.

Some of that majority of citizens who are beginning to realize the link between climate

change and severe storms are artists. Many of these supporters who want change with global

warming are clueless where to start. Storm after storm, natural disaster after natural disaster,

occur and policy does not seem to want to change. This has been brought to the attention of

many branches of the arts. Artists are producing works to draw attention to global warming. This

is positive as it leads action which results in the prevention of those catastrophic storms. You can

do whatever is in your niche to help bring action to this cause. If you are an artist, you can

produce work for the world to see. Proving that the arts are helping raise awareness, in an article

titled, “Moving Towards”, a dance choreographer, Jody Sperling explains her studios movements

to raise awareness, to Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone which states, [in dance, a performer can focus

on and benefit from looking at different views during one time. Their choreographer often
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requests them to evolve their talents that are important to looking at the “cultural inertia” that is
C
associated with global warming. Specifically, Sperling wants her advanced students to think of

the atmosphere within the studio. In doing this they can influence the energy in the room. This

allows them to become conscious of their effects on the Earth] (Sperling 38). This author

confirms that, the dancers in her studio acknowledge their environmental impact and try to raise
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awareness to help prevent global warming and the devastating storms that result from it. In

addition to dance, there are more traditional artists who are trying to raise awareness through

their works. Before global climate change and the devastating storms that result, many art works

were beautiful untouched landscapes. However, that is not the earth in its current state. To

respond artists are painting what they see. As evidence of this Christopher Volpe wrote an article

stating exactly this, [in Los Angeles, an artist named Lauren Bon works at Metabolic Studios. In

her artwork, she mixes art with promoting awareness about the environment. In her latest letter
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based piece it reads “ARTISTS NEED TO CREATE ON THE SAME SCALE THAT SOCIETY
C
HAS THE CAPACITY TO DESTROY.” Her studio intertwines the bad impacts of global

warming with a way to change architecture with food crops on urban lots] (Volpe 615). This

article helps to presume that artists are concerned with the severe storms and negative impacts

that humans have caused on the beautiful planet. They are trying to act in a way that they know

how to, create art. They hope that their art will inspire change in other ways than just facts. Facts

only appeal to one group of people; many others are inspired by emotion. Art evokes emotion

which can help inspire those not moved from facts. In an article titled, “Integrated Science and

Art Education For Creative Climate Change Communication”, Susan K. Jacobsen and others

report, [interdisciplinary organizations can aid those finding new information by helping them

acknowledge and act on the difficult and curiosity based topics that science analyzes. The arts
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also provide a physiological and innovative context for science. This contrasts what science is
C
normally considered, a process that leads to discover. The arts allow information around the

world to be obtained and analyzed differently] (Jacobsen et al.). These facts help bring to life the

point that art is another way to bring awareness to help prevent the severe storms caused by

climate change. Facts are not effective for all types of people. Some need other ways to convince
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them. You can do your part in this world by creating awareness in your group, just like the artists

did.

Climate change is influencing severe storms and you can do something to help prevent it.

Joplin, Missouri is just one instance in a sea of the many instances of storms that have been

impacted from climate change. Tina and her classmates all died as result of the storm. The rest of

their life was in front of them yet, it was taken away in an instant. This is not the only example of

storms caused by global warming, for example, the Californian fires are also a direct result of

climate change as the wind, drought, and hotter temperatures were the cause of the fire. Climate

change is a devastating phenomenon that is causing horrendous effects on a daily basis in this

country. Do everything in your power to try and reduce the carbon emissions that you have. Do

not drive as much as you can. Try and turn off your lights. Invest in any solar energy that you

can, the cost is coming down and it is an investment that will pay off in the long run. Finally,

elect representatives who can try and make a change for the betterment of this earth.
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