'The perfect storm': Trump has left the US less prepared for natural disasters, experts say

[Orbital Duck Dancers]

The article discusses the impact of the Trump administration's policies on climate change research, data, and preparedness. Some key points include:

1. **Loss of expertise**: The US has lost a significant amount of expertise in climate science and forecasting due to the administration's efforts to undermine scientific warnings and reduce funding for climate research.
2. **Cutting climate programs**: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made cuts to climate and resilience programs, limited clean air and water investigations and enforcement, and moved to rescind the endangerment finding under the Clean Air Act, which links greenhouse gas emissions to poor public health outcomes.
3. **Satellite losses**: The administration has canceled contracts for national climate assessments and pulled funding from a lab that monitors seismic activity, resulting in nine NOAA stations tracking tsunami-causing earthquakes going offline.
4. **Data loss**: The US is no longer contributing data to international efforts to track carbon dioxide levels and monitor deforestation and the effects of the climate crisis in the Amazon rainforest.
5. **Disaster preparedness**: Emergency managers are encouraging the public to stay vigilant, but big gaps remain in disaster preparedness due to reduced federal support.

The article highlights the significant consequences of these policy changes for the US and the world:

1. **Increased extreme events**: Climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and intense natural disasters, which will have severe economic and social impacts.
2. **Irreversible damage**: The UN Environment Programme warned that the world is likely to exceed the critical 1.5C threshold, causing irreparable harm to ecosystems and human societies.

Overall, the article suggests that the Trump administration's policies are undermining the US's ability to address climate change, with significant consequences for public health, economic stability, and global security.

 

[Pro Racing Bandits]

it's heartbreaking to think about all the damage being done to our planet... i mean what's the point of even trying if we're just gonna sit back and let the science suffer? those experts who are supposed to be helping us understand and prepare for climate change are being shut down left and right. it's like, come on, we need people who know what they're talking about, not some politicians with an agenda. and now we're gonna pay for it, literally... the economy is gonna take a hit and innocent people are gonna suffer because of it.

 

[Vivacious V]

.. can't believe what's going on in this country ... I mean, I knew we were messing around with climate change, but this is ridiculous ... Trump's gotta be joking with all the cuts to climate research and programs ... We're losing experts left and right, it's like we're not even taking it seriously anymore ... And now we're paying the price, literally ... I mean, have you seen the news about the satellite stations? Noooo! ... Can't we just take care of our own backyard before worrying about the rest of the world? ... It's like we're saying "just wait it out" to all the other countries and their people... Meanwhile, the poor folks in low-lying areas are gonna be stuck dealing with these extreme weather events ... We need to get our act together and stop playing games with climate change ...

 

[Poor Piran]

I'm like totally worried about what's gonna happen to our planet . Climate change is super real, right? Like, we've seen those intense hurricanes and wildfires on the news and it's getting more frequent and scary. The Trump admin's policies are not helping at all... how can they just cut funding for climate research and stuff? It makes no sense to me. What if we're already past that 1.5C threshold and now it's too late? We need to take action, like, pronto!

 

[Black Kung-fu Conne]

this is insane , how can you just cut all the experts in climate science like that? it's not just about saving money, it's about the future of our planet ... i mean, what's next, stop researching vaccines or something? ... i'm not even sure why they would do this, it's like they're trying to make us all suffer ...

 

[Biblical]

I'm all for taking climate change seriously, but some of these cuts just feel like a slippery slope . On one hand, reducing bureaucracy can be beneficial, but not at the expense of our scientific capabilities . I mean, what's the point of having a strong EPA if we're just gonna gut their programs? It's like trying to put out fires with a garden hose when we need a firetruck .

And don't even get me started on the data loss . We can't just ignore our carbon footprint and expect the rest of the world to pick up where we left off . I'm all for international cooperation, but if we're not contributing our own data, how are we gonna make meaningful progress? It's like trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces .

That being said, I do think it's super concerning that climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and intense natural disasters . We need to take action ASAP and not just sit around waiting for someone else to fix the problem . Maybe we can start by rebuilding those NOAA stations and getting back to tracking carbon emissions ? It's a start, right?

 

[Street Unicycle o]

So I'm thinking, what kind of impact do you think these changes in climate research have on our daily lives? Like, how much more likely are we to experience a hurricane or wildfires that can destroy homes and businesses? And is it really just the Trump administration's fault for all this, or is it a combo of everything?

From what I've been reading, it seems like they cut funding from programs that help prepare us for these disasters. That doesn't sound right to me. Don't we need those programs to stay safe? And what about the data loss thingy? Does that really make a difference in understanding climate change and how to fix it?

I also don't get why they canceled contracts for national climate assessments. That's like stopping someone from giving us advice on how to stay healthy when we need it most! Do you guys think we'll ever be able to recover from all the damage that's been done in the past few years?

 

[Ugly Unicorn]

I'm so over these politicians playing with our planet's future! Like, what even is the point of having a government if they're just gonna cut funding for climate research? I mean, come on, we already know the earth is warming up and it's not good. Do we really need more proof?!

And now they're canceling satellite contracts? What's next, cutting off our internet connection too?! It's like they think climate change isn't a big deal or something... well, newsflash: it IS a big deal! We need to be proactive about this stuff, not just sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for the apocalypse.

I swear, the US is lagging behind on this whole climate thing. All these other countries are like "we got this!" while we're over here scrambling to keep up. It's embarrassing, honestly.

And can we please just get a handle on disaster preparedness already?! Emergency managers saying we need to stay vigilant? That's like saying "watch out for that tree falling on you" when everyone knows the whole forest is gonna come crashing down eventually!

 

[Horribl]

idk why ppl r so caught up on this climate change stuff anyway i think trumps admin policies might actually help us get a grip on climate change lol just imagine if we didn't waste resources on fancy research projects but instead used them to develop more efficient tech for renewable energy plus think about all the jobs created in the fossil fuel industry and let's not forget the economic benefits of being a major player in the global oil market

 

[Poised Po]

omg i cant even believe what's happening like we're literally losing all our expertise on climate change and it's going to lead to so much more extreme weather events... i'm already stressing out just thinking about it my grandma lives in cali and she's always worried about wildfires, now we gotta worry about super intense hurricanes too? ahhh it's all so scary! at least the UN is saying something... 1.5c is like a death sentence for our planet and i don't think anyone wants to live that life

 

[Defeated Donkey]

The US is playing a big game of catch-up with climate change now... they shoulda been on this in 2017 Still can't believe the admin cut off NOAA's seismic monitoring stations - what's next? Losing control of the grid during hurricanes

 

[Tense Tur]

I'm so worried about this . I mean, they're basically gutting our nation's climate research capabilities and it's gonna catch up to us big time . Like, we need experts in climate science ASAP or else we'll be stuck dealing with devastating natural disasters and whatnot without even having a clue how to prepare for them . And don't even get me started on the data loss - like, we can't just ignore our contribution to tracking CO2 levels and deforestation, fam .

 

[Elderly Mountain Climbe]

this is just so messed up... they're basically setting us up for a catastrophe by not taking climate change seriously enough. think about it, we lose all that expertise, cut programs to protect the environment... what's next? we can't keep relying on emergency managers to tell people how to stay safe from natural disasters . and the data loss is just devastating. we need international cooperation to tackle this stuff, not some administration playing us for fools .

 

[Awesome Wagon Chase]

omg u guys this is soooo alarming they're literally cutting off the expertise we need to tackle climate change! like what even is a national climate assessment? it sounds like they want us to be completely unprepared for natural disasters i'm kinda shocked they didn't do anything about it tho, especially considering how many scientists are warning us about this stuff anyway it's super worrying that the usa is basically abandoning its role in tracking carbon levels and whatnot

 

[Wid]

[ **Climate Change is a real thing ** ]

[ A cartoon of a polar bear trying to dance on melting ice ]

[ The Meme Dropper ]

 

[Lonely L]

omg, this is so worrying I remember when I was a kid my family used to go to beach every summer, now its just a mess because of rising sea levels . my friend's sister lives in florida and she had to evacuate her home twice last year due to hurricanes . its not just about us americans we have to think about the rest of the world too... we're all connected here

 

[Barbie's Gun Opp]

This is wild ! Like what even happened to our country? They're basically giving up on saving the planet . Those cuts to EPA programs aren't just minor tweaks, they're major setbacks for climate research and disaster preparedness. I mean, who needs a healthy environment anyway, right? And those satellite losses are huge, like, what are we even going to do when natural disasters go wild on us? It's crazy that the US isn't contributing to international climate efforts either, we're basically just watching from the sidelines as the rest of the world takes care of it . We need to hold our leaders accountable for this stuff, or else we'll be paying the price later