Faye Flam in her Sept. 13 opinion piece urges caution regarding connecting the dots between climate change and hurricanes.
However, in its report "Catastrophe Modeling and Climate Change," Lloyd's of London states that the 20 cm of sea-level rise off the tip of Manhattan increased Superstorm Sandy's surge losses by 30 percent, and that "further increases in sea level in this region may non-linearly increase the loss potential from similar storms."
Moreover, in its 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, the U.S. Department of Defense warns: "As greenhouse gas emissions increase, sea levels are rising, average global temperatures are increasing, and severe weather patterns are accelerating. These changes, coupled with other global dynamics ...will devastate homes, land and infrastructure."
It's helpful to look to independent organizations like the insurance industry and the military when evaluating the threat posed by climate change. Because they depend on scientific evidence to assess risk, they are less amenable to politicized science.
It's crucial for our politicians to heed these voices and find common ground on climate action.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.