My latest "Storm Pundit" column on this subject, which has come to seem fairly pressing in the wakes of Hurricanes Felix and Humberto, is now up. Upshot: I want to know more about the mechanism by which climate change would presumably affect storm intensification rates. Still, it stands to reason that some type of change ought to occur--and given how dangerous rapidly intensifying hurricanes near landfall are, this is an urgent area of scientific inquiry. For a counterpoint on the subject, see Stoat: "only now we've had an otherwise unexciting hurricane distinguished only by rapid intensification is anyone interested in RI." Actually, I've long been interested in "RI".....