I've had it: The Truth About Hurricanes and "Global Warming"

I've heard a number of individuals, whether it be the New York Times or a professor of geology at a major university (the one where I am), it seems common knowledge that George Bush is responsible for the hurricane Katrina disaster because he "ignored" the disaster warning of New Orleans by not reinforcing the levees around the city (was this Bush's responsibility? Why not Clinton's? Or maybe the first Bush's?) and because the Bush administration does not base its environmental policy on the theory of global warming.

You can read the Times article, but what really set me off was listening in to a lecture of a freshman geology class. Let me roughly quote:

"Some people may equate global warming to being left-wing junk science. However, the facts show that global warming has caused hurricanes to increase in number and intensity."

I should have interrupted him. I've had it. Here are the facts - straight from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Hurricane Center website. I complied this information; you can, too:

This graph is divided up by decades. As you can see, not only have hurricane total numbers peaked during the 1940's and leveled of over the past few decades, the numbers of hurricanes by landfall category have remained steady. In fact, there have only been three category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the US since 1850; one in the 1930's, one in the 1960's, and one in the 1990's.

If anyone around you makes any comment claiming that hurricanes have increased in number and intensity during the period of "global warming," you now know what to tell them.