Super Typhoon Haiyan: Realities of a Warmed World and Need for Immediate Climate Action - by Michael Mann

The unusually deep, unusually warm pool of water that provided the initial fuel is unlikely to have existed in a world without warming.  Global warming-induced sea level rise contributed to the 20-foot storm surges that caught victims off guard, much as it contributed to Sandy’s record 13-foot coastal surge that flooded substantial sections of New York and New Jersey. These events would not have been as severe in a world without warming.

But herein lies the crux—we no longer live in a world without warming.  Given that 1985 was the last year with temperatures below the 20th century average, and 2000-2010 was the hottest decade on record, it has become impossible to say for certain that any given storm is free from the influence of our warmed world.

Super Typhoon Haiyan: Realities of a Warmed World and Need for Immediate Climate Action - by Michael Mann