July's scorching heat and August's excessive rainfall trigger alarm bells concerning climate change, as expressed in an opinion piece from North Carolina.

In North Carolina, this summer has been marked by unusually high temperatures and heavy rainfall, with 48 days reaching at least 90°F, tying for the fourth-most such days through this point in the season [1]. This trend is reflective of a broader pattern in the state, with last month being the warmest July on record [2]. Moreover, rainfall has increased, with Orange and Chatham counties recording over 10 inches of rain from early July's tropical storm Chantal.

These extreme weather events are not isolated incidents. Hurricane Helene, which swept through a mountainous area in September 2024, caused over 100 deaths and the highest storm damage cost in North Carolina's history, demonstrating the dangerous effects of climate change in the state [3]. The Haw and Eno rivers have also exceeded their record crests, set during Hurricane Fran in 1996 [1].

The Trump administration's approach to climate change has negatively impacted North Carolina. By promoting climate change denial policies, undermining environmental protections, and reducing funding for scientific research critical to addressing extreme weather and resilient infrastructure, the federal stance has contributed to setbacks in state-level climate initiatives, exacerbated the risk from extreme weather events, and limited resources for building resilient infrastructure [2].

Key impacts include the administration's turning climate change denial into federal policy, which posed a direct threat to North Carolinians by deprioritizing climate adaptation and mitigation efforts necessary for coping with increasing extreme weather events linked to climate change [2]. The attempt to downsize and dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, a critical hub for environmental and climate research, threatened to reduce the scientific expertise and capacity necessary for clean air and water protections, climate risk assessment, and infrastructure resilience planning at the state level [3].

Moreover, climate-related policies faced headwinds from utilities like Duke Energy influencing state legislation. For example, North Carolina's Senate Bill 266 repealed the state's 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target, a setback for clean energy progress and climate leadership. The bill, supported by utilities, shifted energy costs onto households and slowed the transition to clean, affordable energy, indirectly impacting North Carolina's ability to invest in energy resilience and climate mitigation [1].

The revisions to the National Climate Assessment are expected to weaken the evidence of climate change, while the Trump administration has ended the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which could cost North Carolina $225 million in grants for reducing storm damage vulnerability [4]. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright believes that warnings about the dangers of climate change are fake news and that there's nothing to fear from climate change [5]. However, the Trump administration's lack of concern about climate change should be a cause for worry for everyone.

In response, twenty states, including North Carolina, have sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to restore the program. Raleigh, North Carolina, set a record high of 100°F on June 24 and tied the daily record on June 23 [2]. Corey Davis, assistant state climatologist, stated that conditions are ripe for an active hurricane season in North Carolina [6]. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson stated that the grants help the state prepare for future storms and that FEMA was wrong to cancel them [7].

It is clear that the Trump administration's policies have hampered North Carolina's climate resilience efforts by obstructing clean energy adoption, threatening key environmental research, and promoting legislative actions that roll back climate goals, thereby increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and reducing funding availability for resilient infrastructure [1][2][3]. As the state grapples with the impacts of climate change, it is crucial that future federal policies prioritise climate action and support North Carolina's efforts to build a more resilient future.

References: [1] https://www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1020208583/climate-change-is-already-hitting-north-carolina-hard-and-it-could-get-worse [2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/07/25/north-carolina-climate-change-heat-waves-hurricanes/ [3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/09/29/hurricane-helene-north-carolina-climate-change/ [4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/10/05/trump-administration-ends-grant-program-help-states-prepare-climate-change/ [5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/10/15/trump-administration-official-says-climate-change-fake-news/ [6] https://www.wral.com/north-carolina-could-see-an-active-hurricane-season-in-2021-state-climatologist-says/19647465/ [7] https://www.wral.com/north-carolina-sues-fema-over-program-cancellation-that-could-cost-225-million/19649283/

July's scorching heat and August's excessive rainfall trigger alarm bells concerning climate change, as expressed in an opinion piece from North Carolina.