The environment is not separate from politics. Photo courtesy of Vox.
SADIA KHATRI | OPINION COLUMNIST | sskhatri@butler.edu
As the wildfires in California continue to rage, death, damage and destruction are left in their wake. Over 12,000 structures have been damaged, with over 40,000 acres of land burned. The current death toll from the wildfires is estimated to be over 20.
Though California is prone to wildfires and experiences wildfire season, recent climate patterns have made wildfire season far more unpredictable. Increased droughts and higher temperatures have made the state more susceptible to wildfires yearlong. These past few decades, the climate crisis has gotten exceedingly worse, with major temperature fluctuations becoming normal and a general, and unprecedented, increase in the Earth’s temperature taking place.
Jesse Van Gerven, an assistant professor of science, technology and environmental studies, emphasized that the wildfires must be viewed in the context of other major changes in climate patterns.
“You will hear pundits saying — and it’s true — that ‘No single event taken on its own can conclusively be attributed to climate change,’” Van Gerven said. “The fires in LA are not themselves evidence of climate change, right? What is evidence of climate change … is the consistent, unidirectional change in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather … We’re not seeing ebbs and flows to it. It’s just going one direction: that’s the evidence.”
The current California wildfires are symptomatic of a larger climate problem. This problem is one that is inherently political. From a lack of effective environmental legislation to how climate disproportionately impacts certain communities, climate concerns are certainly not separate from politics. As environmental damage continues to increase, the political impacts of climate also become increasingly intense.
Weather patterns have only become more troubling and severe, and global warming and other aspects of climate change are to blame. Storms and other natural hazards are often typical parts of different types of ecosystems. Large-scale hazards that turn into disasters that cause major harm and destruction, however, should not be as typical.
Keaton Smith, a sophomore history and political science major, urges people to think cautiously about how we often label all extreme weather patterns as “natural” disasters.
“‘Natural disaster’ … is already implying that you should view [extreme weather] as normal,” Smith said. “The issue is that there’s so much verbiage just surrounding the context of these horrible catastrophes that implies that they’re natural completely.”
Extreme weather events that take place consistently and frequently are not typical and should not be considered as such.
Climate change and environmental issues are inherently political for a number of reasons. The climate crisis and environmental damage impact certain communities disproportionately. Not every person experiences the impacts of climate change in the same way; particular communities and demographics are harmed more than others.
In the context of the California wildfires, hundreds of incarcerated firefighters are helping tame the fires. It is important to keep in mind that these individuals are often forced to carry out prison labor. People who are incarcerated are likely fighting these fires with little to no compensation for their life-threatening work.
Climate change impacts communities of color and those from lower socioeconomic classes disproportionately. People of color are far more likely to be living in areas that are closer to hazardous waste compared to white communities. Research has found that racial and ethnic minorities, along with those who are of a lower socioeconomic level, are at a higher risk of premature death due to exposure to certain types of air pollution.
Environmental and climate concerns harm everyone, but it is critical to be aware of which communities continue to bear the brunt of the climate crisis.
The environment does not exist independent of other systemic issues. Climate change hurts the marginalized more deeply than those who are far more privileged. Corporate greed and capitalism fuel an environment where wealth and profit take precedence over the planet. The upper class also has opportunities to escape from having to deal with extreme weather conditions. In 2021, when Texas was hit with frigid temperatures and a crumbling infrastructure, Governor Ted Cruz decided to leave for Cancun to escape.
Senior economics major Lauren Crimmins noted the increase in hurricanes this past year as another major environmental issue.
“We don’t take the change in hurricanes as seriously,” Crimmins said. “This past year, we had a drastic amount of hurricanes compared to what we normally do, but people weren’t taking it too seriously … But there’s cause for this, there’s reason, and it’s just going to lead to a lot more natural disasters happening.”
As the Earth continues to get warmer, weather patterns are becoming more and more intense.
Both immediate attention and action are necessary, especially on the legislative level. Despite the urgency of the situation, it often seems as though effective political action is not really taken. The current Trump presidency will likely only make matters worse. During his first term, Trump rolled back over 125 environmental policies. This term, President Trump plans on revoking the ban on offshore oil and gas drilling put in place by former President Biden. During his presidential campaign, Trump asked the oil industry for a billion dollars for campaigning purposes.
“The problem is fundamentally political and economic in nature,” Van Gerven said. “Moneyed actors have tremendous influence.”
Lobbyists play a key role in climate-related legislation, or the lack of it. In 2020, the oil and gas industries spent more than $112 million on lobbying efforts. When former President Biden called for an expansion of the oil and gas moratorium in 2021, it was found that 29 members of Congress who condemned Biden’s moratorium received a total of $13.4 million from oil and gas groups and $23.6 from energy and natural gas groups. Such behavior is corrupt and essentially bribery. Research has found that 80% of carbon emissions from 2016 to 2022 are attributable to 57 cement and fossil fuel companies.
“The whole economic model that we operate under depends on us not actually bearing any environmental costs,” Smith said. “We’re essentially just borrowing from the future to sustain our demands that we have currently. And at the end of the day, the change will have to happen from these corporations actions. And the best way to do that is through government policies because there is no incentive under the current capitalist system for these corporations to be held accountable.”
Recently, another major contributor to carbon emissions has been Israel. Research indicates that Israel’s response during the first sixty days after October 7th, 2023 was equivalent to burning 150,000 tons of coal. In addition to this, the expected carbon cost of potentially rebuilding 100,000 destroyed buildings in Gaza would be equivalent to the amount of carbon the entire country of New Zealand produces in one year and would be higher than the emissions of 135 other countries.
One study estimated that the carbon footprint of all global military activity makes up 5.5% of all carbon emissions. If international military activity was combined and treated as one country, it would have the fourth largest carbon footprint globally.
The actions of a few put the entire planet at risk. As climate conditions worsen, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will only continue to increase. The current California wildfires are just one example of a much larger issue that requires immediate action on the international and federal levels.
There is room for hope, though. Through collective action, it is possible to move towards a greener future.
“Individually, we’re not going to shop our way out of this,” Van Gerven said. “Lifestyle kinds of approaches are extremely limited in their efficacy … But collective action, in terms of people coming together to push for structural changes, for new kinds of policies that actually can make a difference … The way that you multiply the power of these sorts of actions is again, through policy, through laws, through collective action.”
Extreme weather events are becoming more common and they will only continue to become more typical unless significant changes are made. Extreme weather and pollution are also only the tip of the very nuanced climate and environmental iceberg. There are an egregious number of ways that life on this planet is negatively impacted by climate change.
It is absolutely critical that actionable steps are taken towards mitigating the climate crisis.