Against the Grain

Hurricanes and Tipping Points

As Hurricane Laura bears down on Texas, and after Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, and Maria, we are reminded of the power of massive storms to not only inundate cities and change landscapes, but to reshape or reinforce existing class and racial divisions. In a look backward, historian Stuart Schwartz reflects on five centuries of hurricanes and conflict in the greater Caribbean, including the Southern United States. And Dale Jamieson reflects on the politics of global warming, including the notion of tipping points.

Image: Thanks to John Middelkoop for sharing their work on Unsplash.