Climate Disasters Are Political — So Let’s Politicize Them
Los Angeles is burning.
Dozens are reported to have died, while hundreds of thousands had to evacuate their homes when the fires were at their peak. The wildfires have blanketed much of the region in smoke, posing a serious health hazard. Children, pregnant people, first responders and people with pre-existing respiratory conditions are particularly vulnerable to the health risks of smoke inhalation.
Climate change isn’t the only driver of these fires, but it’s a key driver of wildfires in general — and of California wildfires in particular.
Far from “natural,” disasters are inherently political.
If they are even partially preventable, why didn’t those with the power to prevent them act in time — or at all? If common sense measures to avoid the worst impacts of the disaster could have been implemented, why weren’t they? And why are those most harmed by a disaster least able to access resources to recover? These are inherently political questions.
Some will say the moment or aftermath of a disaster isn’t the right time to talk politics. But it’s exactly the right time.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years so,” said climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe on Bluesky. “I have learned, very sadly, that the only time the news is willing to talk about how climate change is putting all of us at risk is during and immediately after the extreme weather event: no other time.”
We need to have important public conversations about the growing risks of climate disasters, the culpability of powerful corporations and their supporters in politics, and the systemic causes of disproportionate disaster impacts on marginalized populations. And if we don’t have them now, we may not have them at all.
