Can huge extreme weather events spur action on the climate crisis? » Yale Climate Connection

On a sweltering day in June 1988, during the Great Drought and Heat Wave of the summer of 1988—a catastrophe that killed more than 5,000 people directly and indirectly and cost $54 billion (2024 U.S. dollars) in the United States—climate scientists Dr. James Hansen testified before Congress that man-made global warming is already here (see video below).

Since the summer of 1988, there have been many extreme weather and climate events—each consistent with human-caused warming—that, in another world, would have prompted the transformational changes needed to address the climate crisis in the United States. . Some examples:

• 1993 US Midwest floods cost $46 billion
• The first global coral bleaching event occurred in 1998 (it has since occurred three more times: 2010, 2014-17 and now in 2024)
• 2003 European heat wave kills 70,000 – deadliest in history
• Horrifying scenes of New Orleans being hit by Hurricane Katrina during the 2005 hurricane season
• In 2007, Arctic sea ice melted by nearly 40% and by more than 50% in 2012
• 2012 Superstorm Sandy caused $88 billion in damage
• A triple whammy of three Category 4 hurricanes in 2017, including Hurricane Harvey, which brought a massive $151 billion in flooding to Houston
• 2018 wildfires devastate Paradise, California
• Ocean acidification continues, threatening the foundation of the food chain
• Record ice loss from Greenland and West Antarctica ice sheets accelerates sea level rise
• The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation has slowed by an alarming 15% in recent years, and 36-46% of high-quality models currently predict severe disruptions in the circulation in the 2030s
• 2024 Hurricane Beryl intensified into a Category 5 hurricane on July 1, more than two weeks earlier than any observed Atlantic Category 5 hurricane.

continuously.

Any one of these events could cause Sauron to go, “Oh, S**t!” The Ring and their empire hang in the moment (just like The Lord of the Rings). A shaky thread.

But none of the 13 ominous extreme weather and climate events listed above have fundamentally changed the behavior of these power brokers, who continue to fight tooth and nail against any erosion of power and profits. As I detailed in a post last month, America is not ready for climate change and we have not made the transformational changes needed to prepare for what is coming.

We shouldn't expect any extreme weather events or breakdowns in the climate system to change this. As Upton Sinclair said: “It is difficult to make a man understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

We're living in a real-life disaster movie, and we're past the stage where the heroic scientists' warnings of impending disaster are ignored. We are now at the stage where the disasters foreseen by scientists are actually happening, but the politicians, businesses and media pundits who profit from maintaining the status quo are saying, “Don't look up.”

Climate change futurist Alex Steffen, one of the best at articulating the imminent massive upheavals posed by climate change, believes that if we had begun urgently combating it in the 1990s , then an “orderly transition” to a new society balanced with the climate of the 21st century is achievable. But an orderly transition is no longer possible due to “predatory delay” – the tactics of the fossil fuel industry and its promoters that hinder climate action.

“Every approach that commits to bold action and the continuation of current practices and systems inevitably leads us to magical thinking,” he said.

It’s like we waited until our skin started to turn red before seeking sun protection, and now we’re taking the first step toward sun protection. Well, it’s a long walk to get to the shade, and you’ll inevitably get sunburned.

But even if climate change inevitably sends shockwaves through the global economy and shakes society up, it won't be easy for advocates of smart climate policy to finally break the power of the fossil fuel industry and its promoters and move us out of the shadows more quickly . These bad actors may continue to deny the role of climate change in disasters, blame situations on each other and natural causes, and cling to power to impede climate action.

A cautionary example: Argentina's devastating drought in 2023 caused $9.2 billion in losses, making it the country's costliest weather disaster ever. The World Weather Attribution Research Group concluded in 2023 that human-caused climate change may have increased the intensity of droughts through rising temperatures.

The drought has had a huge impact on Argentina's agriculture sector, which accounts for 25% of the country's GDP, triggering other economic woes plaguing the country, including a severe currency crisis that has driven inflation to over 100% over the past two years. The crisis helped elect far-right populist leader Javier Milley. Mire called climate change a “socialist lie” and pushed for climate-unfriendly policies.

Better systems are possible

Although I mentioned Soren above, I can partially forgive climate change denial politicians who are misguided servants of a flawed culture. America’s capitalist system is not properly regulated, allowing businesses to externalize costs by pumping heat-trapping carbon pollution into the atmosphere without paying a cent. The current system is designed to protect the profits of the rich and powerful, not to protect the source of wealth – our natural resources. The climate crisis will not be solved by the “magic of the market”; there is not enough profit in saving the planet. Corporate shareholders can sue their companies for breach of fiduciary duty if they do not legitimately maximize profits—and the health of the planet’s ecosystem be damned.

For our civilization to survive, we may have to fundamentally change our economic system in order to save the planet yes Prioritize, it’s a daunting task and one that is sure to cause havoc.

read: Opinion: Let’s break free from the constraints of economic growth

A recent report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Advancing a People-Centered Economy , proposes some challenging ideas for reform. For example, economic markets should exist “to serve the people, not the other way around” and “well-being” should include the ability to “withstand economic instability and meet one's needs sustainably and with dignity.”

If economic development is achieved through renewable energy, forest protection, regenerative agriculture, sustainable groundwater pumping, etc., it can increase jobs, build a healthier economy and world, and give us more of the things we actually care about: Experience time in nature, engage in creative work, and be with family and friends.