Good Climate Change Policy Is Good Economic Policy
Article by Arvind Salem, TPT Co-Editor in Chief
Throughout the summer, the United States and its surroundings have been feeling the effects of climate change. Wildfire smoke from Canada has choked millions of people in the United States, Vermont is experiencing record levels of flooding, and the hurricane season is starting earlier and deadlier than ever before. Overall the period of June to August, was the hottest summer ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere.
Then comes the poster child for these extreme climate change events: the Maui Wildfires. These wildfires killed nearly 100 people, displaced over 7,000 people, damaged over 2,000 structures, and resulted in damages that would cost an estimated $5.5 billion to repair. The connection between these wildfires and climate change is clear: a drier climate leads to drier vegetation, which leads to more fuel for the fire to spread.
Image Credit: Alaska Public Media
Of course, the fact that climate change could lead to severe weather issues is not new and does not come as a surprise to either side of the political spectrum. However, this fire shows America that the effects of climate change disproportionately fall on the lower class. In Maui, the vast destruction of property has made the affordable housing situation extremely dire, causing many low-income families to become homeless or live in cars or similarly uninhabitable arrangements. The sheer destruction, coupled with insufficient government aid, has resulted in severe economic distress for Maui’s low-income residents.
The economic distress that has accompanied Maui’s forest fires should show America that the dichotomy between sound climate change policy and economic progress is an artificial one, designed for the benefit of specific interest groups and not for the benefit of the American people at large. Yes, it may be more expensive to produce things sustainably or utilize alternative energy sources to reduce carbon emissions, but, as Maui has shown us, it is much more expensive to deal with the aftermath of the disasters that occur as a result of climate change.
More often than not, the federal government fails to respond adequately to these events: leading to a host of additional disasters. Even after it’s all said and done, the aid that the federal government will likely be insufficient to address these damages fully, leading to a greater strain on the social safety net. With the destruction of property, homelessness may be inevitable, at least temporarily, but without a concentrated effort and resources to address these problems it could lead to increased crime, worsening economic inequality, and other issues. Would that really be a desirable alternative to taking precautionary measures against climate change today?
Today, more Americans than ever before are struggling to afford expenses that were routine just a generation ago. Millennials are struggling due to coming of age in a financial crisis, rising homeownership costs, and skyrocketing tuition costs. Essentially, Americans are less equipped to start over than they have ever been before, meaning that we must adopt responsible climate change policy to ensure that this tragedy never happens again.
Sources:
Many millennials are worse off than their parents – a first in American history
In Maui and across America, climate change and extreme weather are hurting housing affordability