The more I think about the damage and destruction of Hurricane Helene, the more I am convinced that the threat of climate change is urgent. Every hurricane season, Americans are left to wonder which town or community will be affected or even leveled. Every hurricane season, we see pictures of devastation in the Caribbean where entire towns are washed away or destroyed beyond repair. I do not know what it will take to get people to wake up to the very real and present dangers we face. Unfortunately, if we do not act soon, we will reach a point where the damage done is irreversible and we will live on an increasingly hot planet with very little recourse.
If you have seen pictures from Helene, the most recent hurricane to touch down in the U.S., you will notice something slightly unusual. Hurricane Helene did not stick to the eastern seaboard. This particular hurricane moved inland to the western part of North Carolina and destroyed towns that have rarely, if ever, seen this type of natural disaster. Certain parts of the country are known hurricane zones and more prone to natural disasters, extreme weather, flooding, and devastation from nature than other areas, but this one demonstrated what very well could be the new normal: hurricanes touching down across a state and affecting communities far from the coastline.
What does a country do if it is consistently addressing flash flooding, hurricanes, tornados, forest fires, droughts, extreme blizzards, and other catastrophic events? The United States is an incredibly large country geographically, and the needs of its citizenry are vast. What does a nation do if it elects a party that wishes to defund the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and other institutions and agencies that provide emergency services? As we think about participating (or abstaining) in elections, we must think about leadership in a multi-layered view. We cannot only think about voting for the presidency. We must think clearly and critically about how our governor and other elected leaders will act in a crisis.
What can we do to mitigate some of the dangers of climate change? We can begin to think seriously about decreasing our carbon footprints, recycling more, reducing our energy usage, and educating ourselves about the major and minor ways we can do our part. We can also put serious pressure on our elected officials to make climate change a priority in their various agendas. Jobs and the economy are often the primary focus of political debates, but I would argue that a safe and healthy environment is good for business in the short and long terms.
I implore you to read about climate change. I find www.earth.org to be a great resource, providing lists of books that address climate change, conservation, pollution, energy, and more. The time is now. We must act before the damage is irreversible.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.