Climate Change's Effect on Natural Disasters

Article: Climate Change's Effect on Natural Disasters

Writer: Lilly Robinson

Climate Change’s Effect on Natural Disasters

Milton and Helene. The two old-fashioned names are seemingly innocent, but when applied to the twenty-twenty-four hurricane season, their titles carry quite a bit more weight. Hurricane Milton and Helene - a set of back-to-back hurricanes with constantly changing categories - are currently threatening the lives of thousands in the Southern area of the United States. The affected states, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, have all suffered the consequences paired with natural disasters.

At least two hundred and thirty people from the previously listed areas have been found dead, and more than fifty of Florida’s counties have been put in a state of emergency with the National Hurricane Center imploring Floridians to evacuate immediately. Hurricane Milton was reported by meteorologist Noah Bergren as “...nothing short of astronomical” as it sustained winds of one hundred and eighty miles per hour and gusts of over two hundred (nypost.com). With all this going on, it’s easy to brush it off as just a crazy slew of weather, but is that all?

While dangerous weather is something humans have somewhat adapted to, the change in normally severe weather is getting worse. A big part of this is because our Earth’s temperatures and cleanliness levels affect natural disasters' frequency and intensity. The World Wildlife Organization recently stated that “Climate change is increasing ocean and atmospheric temperatures and causing higher sea levels, which in turn can increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of hurricanes, along with their peak winds, storm surge, and rainfall rates”.

This affects not only people living on or by water but also people living in non-coastal regions. Those who need to evacuate if they’re in the path of a hurricane may seek shelter in other parts of their country, but there may not be places for these people to stay if the same struggle is present for those who already live there. With that influx of people seeking shelter and resources, local emergency services and infrastructure are under strain. Supplies like IVs, blood, medications, and doctors themselves may be used or dispatched for those who need to recover, taking away from people who may need monthly infusions, medications, or blood transplants to survive. Hurricanes also disrupt supply chains, affecting businesses and causing economic fallout - especially for places in the affected areas that have had their inventory or buildings wiped out.

While naturally occurring weather conditions are normal, the climate we create isn’t. These storms and situations such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes, landslides, tornadoes, avalanches, coastal erosion, and hurricanes all happen because they support the critters and the nature we live alongside. They’re used as natural selection or ways to “mix up” our eco-systems. But when we add hot air, melting icebergs, rising water levels, land pollution, and so much more, we only feed the fires we have - quite literally. Because of our hotter and longer dry seasons, plants are more likely to burn up easily.

The strong winds and speed at which our snow melts don’t help either. They’re hindering the earth’s ability to fight fires on their own. The World Wildlife Organization reports that “Fire is a natural element of the ecosystem—and forests and wildlife depend on it. But wildfires are growing in scale, frequency, and intensity, wreaking devastating consequences on an ever-larger number of communities. The flames are claiming lives, incinerating homes, and pushing some animal species to the brink of extinction”. Since these conditions start earlier and end later than usual, wildfire conditions can be present all year round, in turn becoming even worse all year round.

Natural disasters don’t discriminate, we as a society need to come together to fight for our safety. Yes, natural disasters will still occur, yes they will still cause damage, and yes we can’t stop them entirely - but we can lessen the blows through environmentally conscious thinking. Great examples of this are limiting our carbon footprint and emissions, choosing green energy, preserving natural ecosystems like forests and wetlands, promoting sustainable land use practices, restoring degraded areas, and investing in resilient infrastructure that can withstand natural events, such as building codes designed for flood or earthquake zones. The solution is in our hands, we just need to acknowledge that it’s there and act on it.

While this article has only had a few examples of dangerous conditions, there are still plenty more that harm our ecosystems, bodies, and lives. I implore you to do some research with the World Wildlife Organization, National Weather Service, and other trusted sources that have plenty of information. Being knowledgeable can only help.

Sources: