WASHINGTON, Sept 28: US officials blocked the release of a statement by government climate scientists that explored possible links between global warming and stronger hurricanes, the journal Nature reported on Wednesday.
But a spokesman for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) dismissed the Nature report as “an interesting piece of fiction” and said the statement was not sent out because it was not ready by the start of hurricane season on June 1.
At the heart of the dispute is an exhaustively vetted two-page ‘fact sheet’ meant to explain how climate changes are related to hurricanes. It has not been officially released and a copy obtained by Reuters includes the words “Draft — Not for Distribution”.
Illustrated with charts, the document notes questions about the cause of stronger Atlantic hurricanes, most of which were asked urgently after the catastrophic 2005 hurricane season.
NOAA spokesman Jordan St. John said some 50 scientists worked to craft a document acceptable to all, ranging from those who maintain human-caused global warming can intensify hurricanes to those who contend any changes in hurricane intensity are due to natural cycles.—Reuters
