What can we do about extreme weather?
Even without climate change, more people would be challenged by extreme weather events. That’s because the population continues to grow, the way we use our land continues to change, and more and more people are on the path to extreme weather events.recent New York Times A Gallup poll found that one in three Americans has been affected by an extreme weather event since 2020, according to a report.according to New York Times Reporter Derek Bryson Taylor:
“33% of U.S. adults say they have been exposed to extreme weather since 2020… According to the survey, based on interviews last month with about 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Hurricanes and winter weather, such as snow, ice storms and blizzards, are the most common extreme weather events, followed by extreme heat and flooding. ”
While we experienced extreme weather events before climate change, climate change has made extreme weather more frequent and intense. Climate models of the late 20th and early 21st century predicted impacts such as sea-level rise and extreme weather, but unlike other environmental problems such as toxic waste and air pollution, the causes are global and the impacts are future. The resulting climate denial has created a different kind of environmental politics than traditional politics, one that is caused by pollution and has clear local effects. In the 1970s, environmental policy was shaped by consensus politics driven by clear and undeniable threats. Today, it seems that more and more people are embracing “climate attribution science,” and more and more people are embracing the notion that all this weird weather has something to do with climate change. This public connection could change the politics of climate change. Gallup polls show that those who have experienced extreme weather tend to view climate change differently than those who have not. According to Taylor:
“…Researchers found that attitudes towards climate change were strongly correlated with personal experiences of extreme weather events. 63% of those affected by extreme weather said they were “very concerned” about global warming, compared to those not affected by extreme weather 33% of those affected by extreme weather say climate change will pose a “serious threat” to their way of life during their lifetimes, compared to 36% who are not exposed to extreme weather The impact of weather. 67% of those who have experienced extreme weather events and 48% of those who have not experienced extreme weather events say governments are not doing enough to protect the environment.”
Large-scale damage from extreme weather and climate-related interpretations of these events could change the politics of climate change, and climate could start to look more like a traditional environmental issue. The link between cause and impact is being built, as impact can now be seen and felt. Unlike traditional environmental problems, however, the causes are not just local. The required policy provisions are more complex than those required by traditional environmental concerns. Most forms of air pollution, water pollution and toxic emissions can be addressed through local, statewide and national rules and technologies. They are mainly within the borders of sovereign states. Climate change crosses borders because we share a common atmosphere, and greenhouse gases produced in one place affect the entire world.
One of Gallup’s most intriguing findings is that the effects of extreme weather on climate change attitudes cut across partisan lines.according to Gallup’s Jeffrey Jones:
“… Victims of extreme weather are more likely than non-victims to express concerns about climate change when the partisanship of respondents is taken into account. In most cases, both victims and non-victims within each party group There is a double-digit gap in climate change attitudes among those who are personally affected by extreme weather events, for example, among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who are personally affected by extreme weather events, 79% are very concerned about global warming, compared to 60% of Democrats had no such experience. Republicans and Republican-leaning people were less likely to worry about global warming, but among Republicans who had experienced extreme weather (28%) and those who had not experienced extreme weather There’s a 15-point gap between people with weather (13%).”
As extreme weather events occur more frequently, we can expect the impact of these events on climate change concerns to increase over time. (Talking about learning the hard way…) While this suggests support for climate policy will increase, what can we actually do about this climate and extreme weather concern?
The approach to climate policy cannot be limited to prevention, as in some areas of environmental policy, because no single jurisdiction can prevent the problem. Nonetheless, America’s role as a global leader requires us to set an example by working to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and developing technologies that can make it happen around the world. But in the short term, we also need to adapt to the new conditions brought about by climate change. We must build institutional mechanisms that enable communities to recover and rebuild after extreme weather events. We need to redefine these events as routine events that require a predictable response, rather than being seen as rare and unusual emergencies.
Part of the storm recovery problem is that our families are more connected and dependent on collective infrastructure than ever before. While some households may have wells and pumps, and possibly a septic tank or septic tank, most Americans are connected to a central water, sewer, communications, and power system. Our homes, especially due to the use of drywall, are vulnerable to flood damage. A lack of power can cause many vital home systems to fail, making a home uninhabitable. The material comforts we take for granted make recovery from extreme weather events complicated and expensive.
Due to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, we need to develop private and publicly subsidized insurance systems to cover the cost of rebuilding after a disaster. This inevitably raises already high housing costs – which include rising insurance premiums and taxes. Creating a federally subsidized reconstruction insurance system is currently politically infeasible, but inevitable if current extreme weather patterns persist. When such a system is finally in place, it will be crucial that the rates are progressive and prevent any increase in homelessness from happening.
In addition to private home and business rebuilding, we must develop programs and revenue streams for infrastructure resilience and rebuilding. Schools, libraries, transportation, energy, water, communications, waste and sewage infrastructure need to be more weatherproof and, when damaged or destroyed, must be eligible for federal reconstruction grants. Yes, our federal tax rate has to go up to cover all these costs.
Currently, weather disasters are considered special events rather than regular events. When disaster strikes, federal funds must be distributed through the drama of our dysfunctional Congress, while victims sleep in shelters or on the sofas of friends or family. Delays in funding can cause pain and hardship. Home security is suddenly breached and children suffer as schooling is interrupted. While we cannot control nature and storms, we have great control over how we respond, recover and rebuild.
As Mark Twain once said (quoting a guy named Charles Dudley Warner), “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” Well, we still can’t do anything about it Changing the weather, hopefully we’ll never be arrogant enough to try this type of geoengineering, but we do need to predict the weather, prepare for it, react to it, and learn how to rebuild the destruction after it’s passed. The experience of extreme weather affects our perception of how the world works. The objective facts of our own experience can resist disinformation or ideology. Air pollution policies are a response to smog, and water pollution policies are a response to stinking or even burning rivers. Perhaps climate change policy will be a response to our growing experience of extreme weather events.
