"Acts of God?"

“Acts of God?”

Editorial by Donald Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief of Science

“We know with confidence what has made the Gulf and other oceans warmer than they had been before: the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human industrial activity, to which the United States has been a major contributor. That's a worldwide event, affecting all oceans.

“When Katrina hit the shore at an upgraded intensity, it encountered a wetland whose abuse had reduced its capacity to buffer the storm, and some defective levees gave way.

“Not only is the New Orleans damage not an act of God; it shouldn't even be called a "natural" disaster. These terms are excuses we use to let ourselves off the hook.”

Science 20 January 2006: Vol. 311. no. 5759, p. 303;
DOI: 10.1126/science.1124889

TonySeb: Comments?

Read the entire Editorial: click title this post.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/311/5759/303