The governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, expressed it more politely: "Anyone who thinks there isn’t a change in weather patterns is denying reality." And to widespread surprise, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also made a link between Hurricane Sandy and global warming, though more guardedly.
"Our climate is changing," he said in a statement last night, remarkable in itself in the context of a presidential election year in which the word "climate" did not get a mention in any of the contenders’ debates.
Mr Bloomberg did not seek to pin any direct blame on climate change – in fact what he said actually reflects the current of the science rather accurately. He said the "increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of [climate change]."
But "the risk that it might be – given this week’s devastation – should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action."
The question is one of risk, not of certainty – the risk that the continuing rise in greenhouse gases from human activities may exacerbate extreme weather. To go further, as many environmental campaigners would like to – to suggest that the violence of Hurricane Sandy is the result of global warming – is to strain what scientists themselves are able to conclude.