How technology feeds extreme weather fears - New York Post

With Hurricane Dorian headed out to sea and vastly diminished from the monster that slammed the northeastern Bahamas, it’s time to consider how the advance of technology leaves many of us feeling less safe.

Want to see the storm from space? Here’s some satellite footage. Prefer your hurricane coverage from the ground, with bending trees and stuff getting washed out to sea? No problem, some guy with an iPhone is always ready to risk life and limb for the chance to make a viral video.

From satellite imagery to 24/7 cable, not to mention the nonstop chatter of the internet, we’re all now exposed to far more minute-by-minute information about potential threats than ever before.

That includes photos of fires in the Amazon — some years-old and not of the actual rainforest.

Yes, extreme weather can kill by the thousands, and do billions in property damage. But things actually aren’t getting worse. Notably, last year’s report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated, “no significant observed trends in global tropical cyclone [i.e., hurricane] frequency over the past century.”

This doesn’t mean climate change isn’t a real issue, or that it’s not important to protect the rain forest. But with weather as with politics (and anything else that stands a good chance of getting clicks), the modern world is full of people eager to grab your attention with fear or outrage.

Evacuate if you’re told to, certainly, and feel free to marvel at all the amazing weather photos and graphics you like — but generally you’ll do fine by just keeping an eye or ear on the weather report.

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