The Real Lessons from Hurricane Katrina

When it comes to Global Warming, we can take a real lesson from Hurricane Katrina. While some may chose to debate whether the storm was caused by climate changes, if the army corps of engineers flood controls compromised the Mississippi River, if the storm was an act of God, nature or due to man's interference - the facts remain the same. They are:

1. Below-sea level portions of New Orleans were inundated, just as people had warned for decades.
2. There is a continued liklihood that storms of the same or greater strength will be generated each year.
3. There is a probability that another storm will hit New Orleans again.
4. Four days warning was not enough to evacuate the city properly.
5. Four days warning is not enough time to build adequate levees.

Therefore, whatever is done to replace them must be adequate to the task, and an evacuation plan must be developed.

Depending on what you read, scientists either all agree that global warming is caused by man, or caused by nature. It is either a natural cycle, or one that we have accelerated. This finger-pointing may signal the politization of the debate, but does not do anything to address the basic facts:

1. The climate is changing.
2. Man must adapt to the changing climate.
3. Absent an evacuation strategy, we must do what we can to maintain a livable climate on earth, with adequate food and water for the billions of people who call this planet home.

We can stop looking for who to blame for the problem. We must admit that it is here and shift our focus onto solutions. The debate should focus on the respective roles of business, government and private citizens. Because no matter the cause, we have to figure out what we are going to do.