Keeping an Eye on the Storms: An Analysis of Trends in Hurricanes Over Time | The Heritage Foundation

Keeping an Eye on the Storms: An Analysis of Trends in Hurricanes Over Time | The Heritage Foundation - Joe D’Aleo and Kevin Dayaratna, PhD
Summary

• Some politicians and pundits have argued that increased greenhouse gas emissions have led to increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes. This Special Report examines historical hurricane data to determine if these claims hold merit. 
• The findings: Despite increases in carbon-dioxide levels over the past century, there has been no significant long-term increase in the incidence and severity of hurricanes using a variety of metrics...

Key Takeaways

• The frequency and intensity of hurricanes has not risen meaningfully, despite CO2 emissions and temperature increases in the 20th century globally.
• Increased hurricane damage in the U.S. is largely due to higher incomes and more infrastructure creation—which also lets the country handle adverse weather better.
• El Niño Southern Oscillation and other natural variations explain the incidence and severity of hurricanes better than global temperature increases do.