History is full of disasters that befell nations, states and cities when warnings were ignored. Some of the most infamous have happened in the past few decades.

Remember when President George W. Bush disregarded reports “Bin Laden Determined to Strike the U.S” until Sept. 11, 2001? Or economists assuring us there was no housing bubble until 2008 when the economy collapsed? And New Orleans residents and officials disputing concerns about the levee system — until a hurricane named Katrina?

Unfortunately, for years many political leaders have persuaded constituents to join them in ignoring another series of warnings about a disaster that could make all others seem like minor incidents: The causes and consequences of global warming.

The warnings have been coming from nature and the latest was a very loud shout. It was Hurricane Laura, and its brief history is filled with climate truths.

On Tuesday, Aug. 25, Laura entered the Gulf of Mexico a poorly organized tropical storm. By Wednesday it had grown to a Category 2 hurricane and just 24 hours later it had exploded to a Category 4 with 150 mile-per-hour winds pushing 45-foot waves and building a 20-foot storm surge expected to drive 40 miles inland.

What caused the dramatic and sudden transformation?

High water temperature — the crystal-meth of hurricane intensity.

Read the rest of the article at The Times-Picayune.