Scientist Peter Kalmus: Fossil-Fueled Climate Change Left Out of Media Coverage of Hurricane Helene

[Uncle Joe]

Hurricane Helene tears through the southeastern United States as scientists say climate change rapidly intensifies hurricanes. The storm devastated large swaths of the southeastern United States after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. Officials say the death toll is likely to rise, as many are still missing. Helene is expected to be one of the costliest hurricanes in U.S. history and was fueled by abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, but most of the media coverage has failed to connect the devastation to the climate crisis. "The planet's overheating. It's irreversible. It's caused by the fossil fuel industry," says climate activist and climate scientist Peter Kalmus in Raleigh, North Carolina. "This will get worse as the planet continues to get hotter."

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.

[Think. Again.]

1. Of course, it usually is left out.

[piddyprints]

2. Yes, they leave it out.

But for this dude to equate what the dems are doing with what the repugs are doing is disingenuous. The dems are far more interested in solving it, but the country doesn't want to listen to them. I agree that the media needs to cover it as a climate change event.

I'm in the middle of this mess, but we have been fortunate. The areas around us are just destroyed. We can barely get out of town. Actually, going to town (we live just outside in the county) is useless because there is no water because our pump house was flooded.

I understand that he's frustrated, but he's wrong on who wants to help solve it and who doesn't. This area in particular continues to drive their hugely oversized trucks everywhere, including the whatever-it's-called that blows stacks of black smoke out every now and then. There is no teaching them, no matter how bad it gets.

[murielm99]

3. Thank you for pointing out that Dems are more interested in solving it.

There are better sources for learning about this than Democracy Not.

[Oopsie Daisy]

4. Of course that's what they do! "Democracy Now!" is anti-Democratic party and they will seize any opportunity *

* to equate Democrats with Republicans, or to oppose and otherwise shit-on Democratic policies and actions (and encourage others to do the same) because it's "not good enough". "Democracy Now!" helps to promote this Sarandonesque philosophy where perfect is the enemy of the good. And the Democratic "good" is always going to be better than the GOP's denial and inaction and obstruction. The Democrats will always move us closer to the goal, and in the real world, moving progressively closer is the best we can hope for. It's always going to be a challenge when dealing with the GOP, but why should we have to also deal with the extremists on the other side who also stymie efforts because "it's not good ENOUGH"? If someone, whether it's an individual voter, an advocate, a celebrity, a reporter, or a news organization like Democracy Now! was sincere in their desire to make a difference, they would focus their negativity on the GOP and GOP policies, where it belongs! Instead this both-sides BS game they like to play only makes things worse. Why do they do it?