Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is a Congresswoman, a former bartender, and the holder of a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Economics from Boston University, the Economics portion of which doesn't seem to have sunk in very well - and we can't be all that sure about the International Relations part, either.
What she is not, is a meteorologist or a climatologist.
So, when she makes remarks on climate, you automatically know two things: One, she has very little knowledge on the topic, and two, her concerns are not based on science, but on politics. That said, when she takes to X (formerly Twitter) and makes a simplistic statement about a complex topic, namely the relationship between ocean temperatures and hurricane formation, it's nice to see her get schooled - with actual data.
That's what happened here.
Chris Martz, in the X post, pointed out:
A total of 75 hurricanes have either formed or tracked through the GoM since 1900.* Of those 75, 40 (53.3%) formed with SSTAs πππππ the 1991-2020 mean. That's more than half of the subset.
* πππ‘π, πΌ ππ₯πππ’πππ π»π’ππππππππ π΄π’ππππ¦ (1957) πππ π΄πππ (1966) π ππππ π‘βππ¦ ππππππ ππ π½π’ππ.
What we can conclude from this analysis is that the formation of major hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico is not contingent on warming SSTs. The Gulf gets warm enough every year to sustain a major hurricane, even of category four or five status. So, higher SSTs aren't going to add much additional effect, especially if you consider the fact tropical cyclone kinematics require far more environmental parameters to be favorable in order for a major hurricane to form (e.g., pre-existing disturbance, low deep-layer [200-850 hPa] vertical wind shear and no dry air / Saharan dust).
You are oversimplifying a very complex issue that you have little understanding about.
AOC's original post said:
So, to summarize, over half of the hurricanes formed in the Gulf of Mexico since 1900 have done so when water temperatures in the Gulf were below the mean. So, no, Miss Ocasio-Cortez, the data simply does not support your statement. This isn't the first time we've dealt with this topic.
See Related: No, Florida Hurricanes Aren't Getting More Severe
Look, none of this is "climate-change denial." I'm on record, as are many reputable climatologists, of acknowledging that yes, the climate does change; it always has, it always will, and throughout the lengthy history of this planet it has, for the vast majority of that time, been warmer than it is now.
At some points in the distant past the planet was not only warmer but the oxygen content of the atmosphere was much higher, to the point where it would have been toxic to us, but allowed for millipedes the size of city buses and dragonflies the size of eagles. At any rate, who are we, we humans who have only been here for a tiny portion of the planet's lifespan, to claim we know what the planet's "correct" temperature range is? That, to me, smacks of hubris.
The question is whether humans have an effect - we do - and then whether that effect is significant. That latter part is the tricky bit, but it's safe to say that one good volcano makes human efforts look pretty puny. And, of course, the policy statement is "Is that human effect enough to warrant sacrificing our modern high-tech lifestyle?" The answer to that, of course, is "No," no matter what AOC would have us believe.
Dealing with the aftermath of these storms is enough trouble without grandstanding politicians muddying the waters.
See Related:
SEE: Ron DeSantis Drops a Reporter for Leading Question About Hurricane Milton
Oops: Jim Cantore Inadvertently Sinks Kamala's 'Selfish' Ron DeSantis Narrative in Five Seconds Flat
It's belaboring the obvious to note that AOC was probably a better bartender than a member of Congress. Oh, she successfully primaried out a complacent sitting Congressman who had all the personal appeal and charisma of a grunion, while AOC is passionate (almost always wrong, but passionate,) young, and, yes, attractive. She burned up a lot of shoe leather and won the primary, which in New York's deep blue 14th District is tantamount to election; and she's probably a safe bet to hold the seat as long as she wants it.
As a Squad member, though, she is part and parcel of everything that far-left assemblage works for, including the climate change alarmist agenda. And the foot soldiers of the climate movement, like AOC and her compatriots, are loud, loutish, and annoying. But they wield power. When they argue, we have to argue back, with facts, with data, with an honest assessment of the complex and chaotic systems that make up the planet's climate. We can take Chris Martz's work here as an example of how it should be done.
