Greenpeace

Hurricane Wilma has been battering the Florida coast since early this morning, after killing at least 17 people in the Caribbean. At one point it was the most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic, with winds of 175 miles per hour, but today it has been seesawing between a Category 2 and Category 3 hurricane.

Wilma isn't the only record-setter of the season. Close on its tail is tropical depression Alpha and forecasters are suggesting the storm could grow in strength. This is the first time EVER all 21 names pre-assigned for storms in a year have been exhausted, forcing the body responsible for naming storms to move onto the Greek alphabet. If there are more storms to come this season (let's hope not), they will be named Beta, Gamma, Delta and so on.

If this trend continues, what will we be doing a 100 years from now, when we've exhausted all the letters in the Greek alphabet? Move onto Chinese characters? Borrow symbols from the artist-formerly-known-as Prince?

No one is suggesting that extreme weather events, like hurricanes, didn't exist before man started trashing the planet. But it is unmistakable that our actions are contributing to global warming, and the Earth's increased temperature and melting glaciers are severely altering Mother Nature's plan.

Global warming is no longer a catch phrase for politicians or interesting subject matter for scientists to write papers. The issue has clawed its way into conversations at the family dinner table, crowded subways and supermarket checkout lines. Now that the general public has grasped the urgency of the situation, it is up to us to do something about it. The responsibility is ours since our government has known for years, and hasn't lifted a finger to resolve the crisis.

A good place to start is by reducing our oil dependence and meeting our energy needs with clean sources like wind and solar. Some politicians are actually exploiting these hurricanes to EXPAND offshore drilling operations to vulnerable coastal communities. Don't let them.

-John Passacantando
Greenpeace Executive Director