Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance had to cancel two campaign events in Georgia due to Hurricane Helene. Vance, who has mocked climate change, faced criticism for the cancellations from climate campaigners. Scientists have linked the intensification of hurricanes like Helene to human-caused climate change, which is exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels.
President Trump, who has also ignored the reality of climate change, has faced difficulties during his campaign events due to extreme weather conditions. Both Trump and Vance attended fundraising events hosted by oil industry executives, promising to roll back environmental regulations in exchange for campaign donations.
The scorching temperatures and severe storms, spurred by the burning of fossil fuels, have caused health issues at previous Trump rallies. Climate experts warn that extreme weather events will continue to disrupt political campaigns and call for better infrastructure to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis.
A right-wing manifesto drawn up by former Trump aides, called Project 2025, proposes breaking up and commercializing the National Weather Service, a move that experts say would endanger public safety by eliminating important extreme-weather warnings. Critics argue that privatizing weather services would prioritize profits over public safety and emergency response coordination during events such as hurricanes.
The potential implementation of Project 2025 under a new Trump administration raises concerns about the future tracking and response to storms like Hurricane Helene, with experts warning that such a move would be disastrous if attempts were made to privatize critical weather services.
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