The Rising Tide of Denial: Hurricane Harvey and the Climate Crisis

In this commentary, Elizabeth Kolbert draws a sobering parallel between the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the recent destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston. By examining the political and environmental landscapes surrounding these two disasters, Kolbert argues that the United States remains trapped in a cycle of climate change denial that exacerbates the lethality and financial toll of extreme weather events.

The Intensification of Storms

Kolbert highlights that while climate change may not be the direct cause of individual storms, it undoubtedly acts as a catalyst for destruction. Referring to Hurricane Katrina as a "wake-up call" for a nation in denial, she notes that the storm pushed water inland with winds clocked at "125 miles an hour," resulting in the failure of levees and the tragic loss of over 650 lives.

Similarly, Hurricane Harvey brought a "deluge" that overwhelmed the National Weather Service. Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, noted that the Atlantic was "primed for an event like this" due to surface waters being "seven degrees warmer than the long-term average." Kolbert emphasizes that with rising sea temperatures come more energy for hurricanes and increased evaporation, which "inevitably produces more rain."

The Escalation of Willful Ignorance

While the Bush administration was criticized for dismissing climate science, Kolbert argues that the Trump administration has taken "willful ignorance to a whole new level." She points to a series of deregulatory actions, including:

• Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord.
• Rolling back regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and oil wells.
• Rescinding a 2015 executive order that required public infrastructure in flood-prone areas to be designed with "sea level rise in mind."

This final move is particularly egregious given that Houston, a city with "no zoning code," now faces the reality of thousands of buildings constructed on floodplains that are "filled with soggy debris." Furthermore, the administration’s dismissal of climate change is mirrored in Congress, where figures like Lamar Smith, chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, have spent their careers "harassing climate scientists" and even arguing that global warming produces "beneficial changes to the Earth's geography."

The Politics of Disaster Relief

Kolbert touches upon the irony of federal assistance. While President Trump has promised a recovery effort "better than ever before," there is a historical precedent of Texas lawmakers obstructing aid to other states. Following Superstorm Sandy, the vast majority of Texas's Republican representatives voted against relief measures for New York and New Jersey, often demanding "spending cuts" to offset the costs.

Kolbert suggests that lawmakers from the Northeast should support aid for Houston, but with a firm condition: they must demand that Texas lawmakers and the President "face up to the facts."

Conclusion: A Call for Radical Action

The article concludes with a stark warning. The science is clear: "The earth is warming," and "fossil fuel emissions are the major cause." The consequences of current policies are "far from beneficial." Kolbert asserts that the United States must stop viewing these disasters as isolated incidents and instead recognize them as the new norm. To mitigate future catastrophe, the nation must "radically reduce its carbon emissions" while simultaneously preparing infrastructure for a future where storms like Harvey, Sandy, and Katrina become increasingly frequent occurrences.