Even Without the Tsunami, 2004 Set Record Losses from Natural Disasters
29 December 2004
Losses caused by natural disasters, most of them climate-related and headed by hurricanes in America and typhoons in Japan, crossed the $100 billion threshold for the first time this year, leaping to some $105 billion, according to preliminary estimates from the Zurich-based reinsurance giant Swiss Re.
This estimate pre-dated the catastrophic Boxing Day tsunami, which early estimates are pegging at $14 billion in economic loss.
Adding in the effects of the tsunami, the year will see almost $120 billion in loss from natural catastrophes and possibly more than 120,000 dead—with 100,000 of those deaths possibly coming just from the tsunami.
At the time of Swiss Re’s pre-tsunami announcement, some 300 natural and man-made catastrophes around the world had been registered in 2004, claiming the lives of more than 21,000 people.
Swiss Re is cautious about assigning direct causality for the increasing rate and intensity of natural weather-based catastrophes to climate change. Climate change is certainly not the cause of the massive undersea earthquake that triggered the tsunami. But the results of this last year (and decade—losses from natural catastrophes started accelerating in the 1990s) highlight the increasing economic and human toll being taken by natural disasters, regardless of the underlying mechanism.
December 29, 2004
Did human activity cause the earthquakes and deadly tsunamis?
Can a gunshot trigger an avalanche? Can undersea "sound bombing" trigger
earthquakes and tsunamis? Should the Australian government continue to give
huge tax incentives (1) that fund the bombing of the ocean floor with 200db
sound blasts, every few seconds, 24 hours a day? (for comparison, a jet engine
and a gunshot is 140db, the space shuttle launch is 180db) These sound waves
penetrate 25 miles beneath the ocean floor. Is there any possibility that this
activity may have triggered "pebbles that started an avalanche on the mountain
of the world"?
Hundreds of marine mammals have been found beached near Tasmania in the past 35
days. Bob Brown, a senator in the Australian parliament, expressed concern last
month that those strandings might have been linked to "sound bombing" of the
ocean floor used in seismic tests for oil and gas. (2)
Consider; sound bombing has been taking place in the area of Tasmania recently.
Unusual mass strandings of marine mammals have taken place in the area over the
past 35 days. (3) On December 24, an earthquake registering 8.1 hit off the
coast of Tasmania. On December 26, an earthquake registering over 9.0 hit, on
the opposite end of the same tectonic plate. Earthquakes certainly happen
naturally quite often. But is it actually possible for human activity to
trigger an earthquake? (4)
Whether the deadly tsunamis were caused by human activity, I don't think that
anyone can say conclusively one way or another at this time. In light of the
enormous human tragedy the world has just witnessed, I think that the
Australian government should call for a moratorium on sound bombing until these
issues can be investigated fully.
[my opinion - Joe T]
thanks to Independent Media TV.
See
http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=10211&fcategory_desc=Under%20Reported
references:
(1) http://www.appea.com.au/Download.asp?Filename=Budget+Press+Release%2Epdf&ID=456
(2) http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041228/sc_nm/environment_australia_whales_dc
(3) http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=10209&fcategory_desc=Under%20Reported
(4) http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/002552.html
Posted by: joe T | 30 December 2004 at 12:06 PM
hey ppl!!!
Posted by: Jade | 03 January 2005 at 12:47 PM
hey ppl.....have yu heard about that tsunami in Idonesia??¿¿ How do you feel about that ......dont you think its horrifying.....i feel really sorry for those ppl down there that got hit!!
Posted by: Jade Morrison | 03 January 2005 at 12:49 PM
I feel very sorry for the ppl affected by the tsunami.You should donate some funds for them.I did!
Posted by: fatima | 07 January 2005 at 08:51 PM