It’s the Climate, Not the Government, Generating Stronger Hurricanes - Horowitz

It’s the Climate, Not the Government, Generating Stronger Hurricanes - Horowitz

In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, some people--hopefully, not too many--are uncritically embracing the absurd conspiracy theory that the government is controlling the weather and is responsible for generating these storms or at least directing where they do the most damage. This view has gained currency in the extreme right-wing corners of the internet and has been amplified by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and others on social media.

 

Apparently, some of the same people who reject the broadly accepted science undergirding the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and the increase in global temperatures, as well as the now well-established role of a warming planet in producing more intense storms, are willing to believe that the American government can not only control the weather but would also intentionally rain destruction down on its own citizens.  This completely unmoored from reality belief gained enough traction that two Republican congressmen in states hit hard by the hurricanes, Chuck Edwards of North Carolina and Carlos Gimenez of Florida, felt the need to put out statements explicitly refuting it, reassuring their constituents that the government really can’t control the weather and is not the cause of the hurricanes.

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In fact, initial analyses of the two hurricanes by international teams of scientists find that they were significantly stronger as a result of “human-caused climate change.”  For Milton, climate change increased the amount of rain by between 20% and 30% and added 10% to the wind speeds. For Helene, climate change increased the amount of rain by 10% and wind speeds by 13 miles per hour.

 

These marked increases in the intensity of the hurricanes also significantly worsen the impacts. A separate analysis conducted by the Grantham Institute, for example, estimates that “nearly half (45%) of the loss in Florida of a 'Milton' type can be attributed to climate change.” Additionally, “the intensity of ‘Milton’ type hurricanes at landfall are about 40% more likely in the 2024 climate compared to a pre-industrial baseline,” according to the London-based institute.

 

It is a safe bet, of course, that these scientifically grounded analyses will not be posted on the far-right websites, such as Gateway Pundit, that have falsely asserted that the Democratic administration is behind the hurricanes nor will they receive much coverage on Fox News or in other components of the right-wing media echo chamber that continue to downplay, ignore, or casually dismiss climate change, despite its mounting costs. And you certainly won’t find Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeting about them.

 

The hard reality is that our storms are becoming more intense, damaging and, deadly due to climate change.  We can only prevent this problem from getting much worse by doing the hard work of accelerating our transition to non-carbon producing renewable energy. 

 

As Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” Spreading falsehoods about the government controlling the weather may get clicks, make the cash register ring, and even attract some adherents. The facts, however, remain plain as day.