Milton shows a Harris victory is needed to combat 'climate carnage'

The recent rapid succession of environmental disasters means it’s time to rebrand “climate change” as “climate carnage.”

That’s the first step towards making the problem a hot button issue in American politics like abortion and immigration. The second step is action which will prove difficult to come by.  

The heat is on. So are hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described climate change as “a ticking time bomb.” Climate explosions have already rocked the world and the situation will only get worse unless we take concerted action. 

The latest, but certainly not the last explosion, Hurricane Milton just ravaged Tampa and the rest of Central Florida. It’s still too early to account for the economic and human toll wrought by the latest weather disaster. Warmer water in the Gulf of Mexico creates bigger and more deadly storms. Milton follows closely on the heels of another storm, Helene, which slammed Florida and devastated parts of Georgia and North Carolina and led to the deaths of more than 200 people.  

Climate carnage is not confined to the Gulf Coast. While many Americans bask in delightful autumnal weather, citizens in the Southwest still bake in triple-digit temperatures. 

And the U.S. doesn’t have a monopoly on dangerous weather conditions. The Amazon River, the lifeline of South America is in the throes of a severe drought, which is a threat to the survival of the environmentally friendly rainforest in the region. A severe dry spell has wrought starvation which threatens the lives of millions of Africans. Floods in Europe have driven thousands of people from their homes. 

Donald Trump’s response to the human suffering and economic damage from Helene and Milton is to deny the reality of climate change and to make unfounded allegations about the Biden’s administration’s supposedly weak response to the crisis.  

The GOP presidential hopeful has asserted that the president and vice president have used funds from FEMA to help illegal immigrants instead of storm victims. But he will never accept the fact that there is a direct connection between inflation and immigration and climate. Climate-induced drought devastates agriculture and creates food shortages, which drives immigration and inflation.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has ably defended President Biden’ strong record of accomplishment in the fight against climate carnage. The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed despite intense Republican opposition, is a groundbreaking first step in the battle against climate carnage. The administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act stimulated the growth of a clean energy foundation for economic growth through the 21st century. 

If we win the war against climate catastrophes, Americans and people across the world will honor Biden as a visionary and pioneer. If we lose the war, people will ask why we didn’t listen to him. 

Sadly, the immediate prospect for aggressive American action against climate change is grim. The problem will just get worse until environmental groups and green citizen activists are able to put climate on the front burner of electoral politics. 

This year, inflation, immigration and abortion top the campaign food chain. Climate change, despite brutal weather in the battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, is the poor abandoned orphan of the 2024 presidential race. This is a tragedy, since it is as much a threat to human survival as its policy competitors for our limited attention span.  

Most American want government to confront the climate crisis but the threat doesn’t generate the same level of intensity as other issues. The tipping point for the environmental movement will be the day when the fight against climate carnage evokes the same level of passion that immigration or abortion does. 

A Harris victory would keep the fight alive, but there would be constraints on her environmental activism. The real prospect of a closely contested election is that the two parties will share power in a divided Congress which will hinder the passage of a Democratic environmental agenda that might save America and the world from catastrophic weather disasters.  

A second term for Trump would be a big win for climate deniers and an environmental disaster. Veterans of his first term and wannabee staffers for his second term created Project 2025, which would roll back Biden’s environmental initiatives and eliminate federal agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency which fight climate change.  

The U.S. and like-minded nations must combine to create a lean, green fighting machine. Trump, the guy who once said wind turbines cause cancer, has claimed that climate change is a “hoax.”

Climate denial isn’t just about the weather in Egypt. It’s a dangerous illusion that could be the death of us all. It’s up to voters to make America green again. 

Brad Bannon is a Democratic pollster, CEO of Bannon Communications Research which polls for Democrats, labor unions and progressive issue groups. He hosts the popular progressive podcast on power, politics and policy, Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.