Was Hurricane Sandy Caused By Climate Change?

06:34

October 30, 2012

This NOAA satellite image taken on Monday shows Hurricane Sandy off the Mid Atlantic coastline moving north. (AP/NOAA)

Whenever there's an extreme weather event, from a hurricane to a record drought, the question always arises: Is it climate change?

MIT climate scientist Kerry Emanuel told Here & Now's Robin Young that it's hard to know for sure, but it is clear that as coastal waters warm up, storms will carry more rain, due to the added water vapor.

Guest:

Kerry Emanuel, climate change scientist and professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

This segment aired on October 30, 2012.