UNNATURAL DISASTER: THE LESSONS OF KATRINA
Worldwatch Institute | September 02, 2005
http://www.worldwatch.org/press/news/2005/09/02
Worldwatch Projects Catastrophe Will Be Most Costly Weather-Related Disaster in
History
Washington, D.C. – The overwhelming human and financial impacts of Hurricane
Katrina are powerful evidence that political and economic decisions made in the
United States and other countries have failed to account for our dependence on
a healthy resource base, according to an assessment released today by the
Worldwatch Institute.
Alteration of the Mississippi River and the destruction of wetlands at its
mouth have left the area around New Orleans abnormally vulnerable to the forces
of nature. According to many scientists, the early results of global warming—90
degree Fahrenheit water temperatures in the Gulf and rising sea levels—may have
exacerbated the destructive power of Katrina.
“The catastrophe now unfolding along the U.S. Gulf Coast is a wake-up call for
decision makers around the globe,” says Worldwatch President Christopher
Flavin. “If the world continues on its current course—massively altering the
natural world and further increasing fossil fuel consumption—future generations
may face a chain of disasters that make Katrina-scale catastrophes a common
feature of life in the 21st century.”
“The appalling images from New Orleans demonstrate that the world’s richest
country is not immune from the need to respect natural systems and to invest in
their protection,” continued Flavin. "This will likely be the most expensive
weather-related disaster the world has ever faced."
According to an assessment by Worldwatch researchers, the long-term lessons of
Katrina include:
1. Maintaining the integrity of natural ecosystems should be a priority:
Indiscriminate economic development and ecologically destructive policies have
left many communities more vulnerable to disasters than they realize. This,
together with rapid population growth in vulnerable areas, has contributed to
worldwide economic losses from weather-related catastrophes totaling $567
billion over the last 10 years, exceeding the combined losses from 1950 through
1989. Losses in 2004 exceeded $100 billion for the second time ever, and a new
record will almost certainly be set this year once Katrina’s damages are
totaled.
2. Short-term thinking is a dangerous approach to policy: During the past
few years, the U.S government has diverted funding from disaster preparedness
to help finance the Iraq War, and has reduced protections for wetlands in order
to spur economic development. Both decisions are now exacting costs that far
exceed the money saved. Natural ecosystems such as wetlands and forests are
often more valuable when left intact so as to protect communities from floods,
landslides, drought, and other natural occurrences. Failure to protect
ecosystems contributed to the massive loss of life when the tsunamis swept
across the Indian Ocean last year and when Hurricane Mitch killed 10,000 people
in Central America in 1998.
3. The links between climate change and weather-related catastrophes need to
be addressed by decision makers: Although no specific storm can be definitively
link to climate change, scientists agree that warm water is the fuel that
increases the intensity of such storms and that tropical seas have increased in
temperature by up to 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century. (Katrina
transformed rapidly from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane when it passed
from the Atlantic Ocean to the much warmer Gulf of Mexico.) In the next few
decades, water temperatures and sea levels will continue to rise, greatly
increasing the vulnerability of many communities. Global warming and its
anticipated effects on the hydrological cycle will make some areas more
vulnerable as storms, floods, and droughts increase in frequency and intensity.
4. There is an urgent need to diversify energy supplies: The national and
global economic impact of Hurricane Katrina is growing by the day, with
consumers around the world now paying significantly more for energy than they
were a week ago. Decades of failure to invest in new energy options has left
the world dependent on oil and natural gas that are concentrated in some of the
world’s most vulnerable regions—the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Persian Gulf, and the
Niger Delta in Africa. Biofuels and other renewable resources now represent
viable alternatives to fossil fuels, which are not only vulnerable to natural
disasters but could have a big impact on the severity of future disasters.
- END -
Interviews: The following experts are available for interviews in these areas:
(Worldwatch Institute Press Contact Information)
Christopher Flavin, Worldwatch Institute President:
* The links between climate change and weather-related disasters
* Economic effects of skyrocketing fuel prices
* The potential for renewable energy sources to diversify energy supplies
Michael Renner, Worldwatch Institute Senior Researcher and Director, Global
Security Project
* The need for a broadened understanding of security, including the
repercussions of environmental change
* The need for a shift in global funding priorities to support disaster
prevention and mitigation policies
Sandra Postel, Director, Global Water Policy Project and Worldwatch Institute
Senior Fellow
* How the destruction of wetlands and engineering of rivers increases the
risk of catastrophic loss
* Why protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems can help mitigate
disasters
* How global warming is likely to alter the hydrological cycle
HURRICANE KATRINA
Worldwatch Background Fact Sheet
► In 2004, weather-related disasters caused $104 billion in economic
losses, almost twice the total in 2003. Hurricane Katrina alone is expected to
cause more than $100 billion in economic losses, according to Risk Management
Solutions, Inc.
► An estimated1 2,000 weather-related disasters since 1980 have caused
618,200 fatalities and cost a total of $1.3 trillion. Average annual economic
losses from weather-related disasters rose from $26 billion in the 1980s to $67
billion in the last decade.
► Average annual fatalities due to weather-related disasters jumped from
22,000 in the 1980s to 33,000 in the 1990s.
► Since the early 1900s, the average global temperature has risen 0.6
degrees Celsius. The rate of increase since 1976 is triple that for the century
as a whole.
► In 2004, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 377
parts per million, 16 percent higher than in 1960.
► Oil is responsible for 42 percent of all emissions of carbon dioxide,
the principal human-caused greenhouse gas.
► In 2004, approximately 30 million people worldwide were environmental
refugees. The UN Development Programme projects that number to climb to 50
million by 2010 and 150 million by 2050.
► Since 2001, the Bush Administration has frozen spending on the Corps of
Engineers, responsible for protecting the country’s coastlines and waterways,
at around $4.7 billion.
► More than 20 oil rigs were reported missing in the Gulf, and the
region's oil output was down nearly 95 percent after Hurricane Katrina.
► 25 percent of U.S. oil production comes from the Gulf of Mexico and 60
percent of U.S. oil imports come through ports located along the Gulf Coast. 10
percent of U.S. refining capacity is located in that region.
► Fossil fuels provide over 90 percent of world commercial energy use.
► Over the past decade, the energy produced from wind, solar, and,
biofuels has doubled. These new energy sources are now growing at over 10 times
the rate of world oil production.
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