As the New York of the South, Atlanta is the economic and social anchor of its region, home to the world’s busiest airport, among other key distinctions such as the horrific Atlanta tornado of mid-March 2008. As reconstruction progresses and grieving families mourn the fallen, it is important that we learn from what nature taught us during that fateful week.
The death toll and collateral damage, of course, are the source of greatest shock from the horrible Atlanta tornado and related storms but the fact that they occurred in a dense urban area is a close third on the list of frightening aspects. Why was Atlanta hit so hard? The lack of good windbreak trees is a big reason but more on that in a moment.
Global warming expands the zones where killer storms such as hurricanes (and the Atlanta tornado) form. If you have followed my blog here on Keyboard Culture for some time, then you know that the solutions which we embrace to combat global warming must include the planting of millions of trees. If we do that in a concerted way, we will be on the right track.
There is a large ancillary benefit to doing so, however. Good windbreak trees help reduce the occurrence of killer storms and if Georgia still had its vast, historic forest canopy, there is a good chance that the Atlanta tornado would have dissipated faster and, not coincidentally, the Atlanta region would not be in the deep drought which currently afflicts it (a separate topic best left for a future post here on KBC).
Trees perform many, many important jobs in our environment. Windbreak trees are among the most important because they do the same job as others but add the benefit of regulating wind speed.
Why is that important for Atlanta? Consider the sand storm. One of the greatest challenges China currently faces is sand storms from the Gobi desert because it grows by more than 9,000 square miles per year. More desert area equals more sand storms. Why? Because sand storms occur when there are no trees to disrupt the wind pattern.
The same explanation applies to the Atlanta tornado. North Georgia used to have a very broad tree canopy. It no longer does. Instead, it has cities and suburbs and golf courses and almost no windbreak trees. Combine the effects of global warming with the absence of good windbreak trees and it was only a matter of time before the Atlanta tornado occurred. It was inevitable.
Amid all the fear and devastation which the Atlanta tornado rightly caused, there is good news. Yes, we have the ability to reverse the trend. We need to plant millions of good windbreak trees throughout the Southeast and we must begin today. If we do so, we will not have a guarantee that the Atlanta tornado will not recur but we will reduce the chances (and improve rain patterns, temperature patterns, air quality and real estate values at the same time plus, of course, help to combat global warming).
With so many ancillary benefits, what’s to keep us from acting? If you have the answer, contact me through the link along the left margin of my blog.
Sustainable Justice For All!
Corbett Kroehler
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