Putting a Climate Scourge’s Words to Video

Last month, in the wake of the catastrophic Joplin tornadoes, 350.org founder Bill McKibben published a scathing op-ed in the Washington Post mocking those who show caution about linking climate change and extreme weather: Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, [...]

Why the Argument Over Climate and Tornadoes Is Pointless

As the middle of the country weathers a truly historic string of tornadoes—see TIME’s David Von Drehle’s moving story from Joplin, Mo.—another battle has opened up over climate change’s possible role in these record-breaking disasters. For many environmentalists, the twisters of 2011 are an ominous sign of things to come—and another Katrina, chance for greens [...]

Getting Out of Danger’s Way: Why We’re Not Prepared for Twisters

The Midwest has every reason in the world to be sick of tornadoes by now. In April alone, there were a shocking 600 of them, and in the past two months more than 400 Americans have been killed by the storms. At least 116 more were added on May 22 in the massive twister that [...]

The Hows and Whys of a Possibly Record-Breaking Tornado Month

The South is reeling from what could be one of the deadliest tornado systems in U.S. history. Yesterday storms and tornadoes ripped through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia, killing as many as 200 people, and potentially far more. At least 139 separate tornadoes were reported yesterday. That number is almost certain to rise, and [...]

Tornadoes, Climate Change and the Disaster Gap

There are storms and then there is what happened to the town of Sanford, North Carolina on the night of April 16. A boisterous storm system had begun in Oklahoma on April 14, bringing flash floods, tornadoes and thunderstorms from the Midwest through the Southeast, part of a massive weather system that could be felt [...]