The Climate Crisis Won't Wait for Politics
An American Flag sits in floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in St. Petersburg Florida. Source: AP Photo / Mike Carlson
In the wake of unprecedented destruction, America is getting a stark reality check about its climate future. "This is just horrific," said weatherman John Morales in a breaking voice as he watched Hurricane Milton explosively intensify from Category 1 to Category 5 in just 10 hours. It was this emotional, raw moment from the veteran meteorologist known for his steady demeanor that called attention to the urgency of our climate emergency. This frustration later crystallized into a stark warning: "I have always been known as the just-the-facts, not alarmist weather presenter, but I've asked for action on climate. not enough has been done." This wasn't just another weather event; it was a harbinger.
The facts are grim: Hurricane Helene alone took 223 American lives—115 in North Carolina— and inflicted $220 billion in damage, marking it as the fifth deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. And then, just days later, Milton made landfall; Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued an alarming statement: "If you choose to stay. you're gonna die." Even with Tampa avoiding the direct hit, eight more Americans lost their lives, while other communities, like Anna Maria Island, were reeling from back-to-back disasters.
Donald Trump's return to the presidency could prove to be a potentially disastrous turn in America's response to climate. His campaign rhetoric dismissed the climate concern and talked up fossil fuel expansion at a time when communities were still searching for missing loved ones in the aftermath of Helene. His discussed policies, from dismantling methane regulations to abandoning international climate commitments, represent more than a mere step backward; they constitute a direct threat to global climate stability.
The contrast couldn't be more apparent during the presidential debate. Vice President Harris described climate change as an "existential threat," while pointing out that real investments – through legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act –are expected to channel hundreds of billions into clean energy and climate resilience over time. Trump spoke of manufacturing jobs, showing his dangerous disconnection to the unfolding climate realities in front of us.
The path forward, however, is not all top-down from Washington. Awful as these recent developments have been, they've catalyzed action at the state and local levels. Even deep-red Texas and Oklahoma are seizing renewable energy opportunities, which suggests that the tides could be shifting toward a less polarized approach to climate action The private sector, meanwhile, is yielding to market forces and citizens demanding greener alternatives.
Jeremi Roberts, of the State Emergency Response Team, noted how deposits from Helene had inadvertently protected some homes from the impact of Milton—a bitter reminder that we are already adapting to a normal now already changing. But adaptation is not sufficient in and of itself. The increasing prevalence and strength of such storms call for more than a passive approach.
With 2024 already shaping up to be the hottest year on record, Trump's second-term vision is an extreme contradiction in climate science. His Day 1 agenda includes executive orders promoting the dramatic increase of oil and gas drilling, dismantling environmental rules, and targeting what he calls the "green new scam." This is not rhetoric; this is an all-encompassing attack on climate action.
The implications run deeper than policy: it plans to either reorganize or eliminate many of the most significant scientific agencies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, crucial for tracking climate change and predictive capabilities of extreme weather such as Helene and Milton, is particularly threatened and described by the president's allies as "one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry." Furthermore, a group within the EPA, the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, in charge of cleaning pollution in minority communities, is in line to be axed. Compounding these concerns, Trump has appointed former New York congressman Lee Zeldin as the head of the EPA. Zeldin, who has a lifetime environmental score of 14% from the League of Conservation Voters, has been criticized for his lack of climate experience and low environmental ratings during his tenure in Congress.
That being said, market forces and state-level momentum may prove intractable. Clean energy development continues to attract enormous private investment, despite assurances by Trump that he can achieve a 50% cut in energy prices by ramping up fossil fuel production, a promise energy experts say is "virtually impossible." As Mindy Lubber of Ceres says, "There is a legitimate vein of opportunism, of entrepreneurial spirit, of new jobs, of new economics" driving climate action regardless of federal policy. During Trump's first term, wind and solar industries saw significant growth.
But the stakes have never been so high, and four years of aggressive fossil fuel expansion and scientific suppression might prove catastrophic to climate progress at a time when greenhouse gas emissions are reaching record levels and global temperatures are nearing dangerous thresholds. While the federal leadership falters, communities, businesses, and local governments are leading the charge. The climate crisis is not going to wait for political consensus. Every renewable energy project, sustainable business practice, and community resilience initiative all count. The next hurricane season will arrive, whether we're ready or not.
Meanwhile, with seven in ten Americans believing climate change is a serious problem, true solutions won’t come from waiting for the political winds to shift but acting now at every level possible. The destructive lessons of Helene and Milton make it clear: our choice isn't between acting and doing nothing but between proactive change and being forced into adaptation as the climate becomes increasingly hostile.
The costs of lives, dollars, and communities are already too high. And while the Trump Administration may try to turn the clock back on climate progress, political rhetoric won't deny the reality of our changing climate. The time for action is now, with or without federal leadership.