Wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes, oh my!
2024 has seen a record number of natural disasters and extreme weather. As of Aug. 9, there were 19 confirmed weather and climate disaster events, each with losses exceeding $1 billion.
The total cost of these events exceeded $49.6 billion. While information continues to pour in, and data continues to be updated in lieu of recent natural disasters, including hurricanes Helene and Milton, these numbers will continue to grow dramatically.
Behind all the tragedy is not Democrat-engineered weather control, as representative Majorie Taylor Greene has suggested. However, these accusations aren’t too far from the truth.
To be clear, we cannot control the weather. Natural disasters cannot be a product of such far-out science fiction. We are, however, to blame for increased carbon emissions and other pollutants that increase the frequency and intensity of these disasters, among other consequences.
With the 2024 elections rapidly approaching, environmental issues have taken a backseat for many candidates and voters. We all need to do more to assure that the environment is helped, not hurt.
Abortion rights, health care, the housing crisis, and the economy are all secondary if environmental concerns aren’t addressed. Accessible health care becomes a miniscule issue if pollution and waste contaminate our air and water to the point of irreversible illness and cancer. The housing crisis won’t matter if natural disasters and rising sea levels continue to knock homes down as quickly as we build them up.
Still, both the public and our candidates have put environmental problems on the backburner. Only 62 percent of registered Democrats cited climate change as a top issue in the 2024 election, with a mere 11 percent of registered Republicans agreeing, for an average of 37 percent.
During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, both candidates tooted their own horns on how much they have and would do for fracking. When asked about climate initiatives, Vice President Kamala Harris cited her work toward a greener country and positive environmental impacts, despite earlier support for fracking.
Even within her own claims of pro-environmental action, Harris couldn’t resist mentioning increased domestic gas production under President Joe Biden’s administration. Former President Donald Trump sidestepped the prompt altogether, keeping in line with his past convictions that climate change is a hoax.
One would think Trump would be more concerned with climate change, given that rising sea levels and hurricanes threaten his dearly beloved Mar-a-Lago. Still, he insists that the science-proven phenomenon is fake news, with nuclear warming posing the true threat.
So how is anything going to change if the implications of the issue at hand continue to be minimized and ignored?
While individual actions should not be discounted or understated, the majority of responsibility for change lies with corporations that operate without regard for their environmental impacts.
These corporations have little desire to initiate pro-environmental change on their own, and why should they? Current practices allow them to maximize profit in a much simpler way than making environmentally conscious choices. Since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed, 58 of the top 100 carbon-producing companies have actually increased their production.
People must pressure corporations to adopt environmentally conscious practices, but more importantly, we need to hold lawmakers accountable.
Emails, phone calls, and petitions show politicians where our priorities lie. More than any of this, voting can make the biggest difference. This election, research and vote for candidates who support climate action. At the very least, vote for someone who listens to science and acknowledges that climate change is real.
While increasing domestic oil and gas production might benefit the economy and decrease reliance on foreign suppliers, we need to put the planet over profit. And not just the planet, but also our own wellbeing, health, and safety.
We may try to forget that we are just as much a part — albeit, a parasitic part — of this planet as any other organism, but we are still interconnected with and dependent on nature. To put it simply, we need to understand that in putting the planet first, we are also putting ourselves first.
Cast your vote this November in a climate-conscious way.