The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene has thrust climate change into the heart of the U.S. presidential campaign, forcing candidates to address the issue after months of it lingering on the political margins. With at least 178 people dead, and thousands still without access to running water, electricity, or cellphone service in the Carolinas, the storm has become a focal point of discussion for both parties.
Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Georgia on Wednesday to assess the damage and offer support to victims, following a visit two days earlier by her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump. Trump, while in Georgia, criticized the federal government’s response to the hurricane, further intensifying the debate on how to address the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters linked to climate change.
President Joe Biden, who has been called upon numerous times throughout his tenure to console victims of hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters, took a helicopter tour of the hardest-hit areas in North Carolina. After surveying the devastation, Biden emphasized the growing strength of storms and the undeniable role of climate change. “Nobody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore,” Biden said during a briefing in Raleigh. “They must be brain dead if they do.”
Climate Change Takes Center Stage
The renewed focus on the climate crisis was particularly notable given that climate change had barely been mentioned in the previous presidential debates, with candidates focusing more on issues such as abortion rights, the economy, and immigration. Hurricane Helene has dramatically shifted that narrative, especially as the scale of the disaster becomes more apparent.
During Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, climate change and Hurricane Helene took center stage. Democratic candidate Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, highlighted the urgency of the situation, calling the hurricane a clear consequence of global warming. “There’s no doubt this thing roared onto the scene faster and stronger than anything we’ve seen,” Walz said, directly tying the storm to the broader issue of climate change.
In contrast, Republican candidate JD Vance, an Ohio senator, acknowledged the need for a strong federal response but stopped short of fully endorsing the role of human activity in exacerbating climate change. Instead, he focused on energy production, stating that the U.S. must ramp up domestic energy to combat the effects of climate change. “What the president has said is that if the Democrats, in particular Kamala Harris and her leadership, really believe that climate change is serious, they would be doing more manufacturing and more energy production here in the United States,” Vance said.
Scientific Consensus
Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic impact has spurred discussions on the links between extreme weather events and climate change. Scientists point to established connections, such as the intensification of storms and more extreme rainfall patterns, which are being driven by a warming planet. Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections, remarked that Helene is no ordinary storm, but one shaped by the long-term effects of global climate change. “Helene is a sprawling catastrophe, affecting millions of Americans,” Henson said. “And it dovetails with several well-established links between hurricanes and climate change, including rapid intensification and intensified downpours.”
More than 40 trillion gallons of rain fell across the Southeast in just one week, enough to submerge the entire state of North Carolina under 3.5 feet of water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ed Clark, head of NOAA’s National Water Center, called the level of precipitation “astronomical,” underscoring the increasing threat posed by climate-fueled storms.
Differing Approaches
While Vance emphasized the need for increased energy production in the U.S. to tackle climate challenges, Walz and Harris have leaned into clean energy initiatives as the key to mitigating the crisis. During the vice-presidential debate, Walz praised the Biden administration’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included the largest-ever investment in renewable energy in U.S. history. He noted that the law has already created 200,000 jobs in clean energy sectors like wind and solar power, helping both the economy and the environment.
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Vance, however, argued that Democratic policies disproportionately benefit China, which produces many of the materials used in renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels and lithium-ion batteries. In response, Walz highlighted the Act’s focus on domestic clean energy production, rebutting Vance’s claim. “We are producing more natural gas and more oil in the United States than we ever have, and we’re also producing more clean energy,” Walz said.
The clash between the two candidates mirrors broader political divides over how to approach climate change. While Democrats advocate for renewable energy as a solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing global warming, Republicans like Trump and Vance emphasize economic concerns and argue for increased fossil fuel production to achieve energy independence.
A Pivotal Issue
As the U.S. presidential campaign heats up, Hurricane Helene has brought climate change into sharp focus, forcing both parties to confront an issue that can no longer be ignored. Walz echoed a sentiment shared by many Democratic voters when he pointed to the evidence in America’s heartland. “My farmers know climate change is real,” Walz said, citing the unpredictable weather patterns that have affected agricultural production in recent years. “The solution for us is to continue to move forward, accept that climate change is real, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”
With the country facing increasingly severe weather disasters, the debate over how to address the climate crisis will likely remain a central theme in the 2024 election, shaping the future direction of U.S. environmental policy.
