Many of my fellow mets are stunned at the amount of angry crazy conspiracy theories that are flooding their timelines about Helena, FEMA etc.
I think I can at least partially explain it.
It’s extreme cognitive dissonance.
The areas where Helena hit have some of the lowest acceptance of climate change in the USA.
Along comes a hurricane that soaks up the hottest ocean waters on record and produces a rainstorm that wipes out the road and power network across Western North Carolina, tearing up the power from there to the coast. They hear from me and other atmospheric scientists about how this storm was made up to 30% wetter because of climate change and almost certainly stronger. Now, the people in the SE (see map) can tell themselves that they were wrong, and every science body on Earth, including, NOAA and NASA were right. They can adjust their worldview. They can say to themselves that the people telling them that climate change is a big lie were the ones lying to them.
“I’ve learned and will act differently from now on.”
OR
They can squirm as the cognitive dissonance bites and decide that it’s far easier to believe that FEMA is evil and is paying them back. They can accept that the government steered that storm there on purpose.
Yes, it’s a crazy idea to us, but to them, it’s the far more comfortable mind set. You get politicians urging it on, and before you know it, people are going online and talking about taking out the Doppler radar towers, and sending death threats to friends of mine who work on air and online in Alabama and the Carolinas. Most of the really crazy stuff I saw today came from FL,Al, Ga,and TN. That’s where we are. It’s easier to believe the big lie than accept the reality of the situation.
And now comes Cat 5 Hurricane Milton.
Will this be the flash of light that breaks the spell?.
No.
It will lead to even more crazy.
My friends at NOAA and in TV who work near a big radome, be careful for a while. If just 2% fall down the rabbit hole, that’s 6 MILLION people.
Note: Any experts on cognitive biases want to tell me I’m wrong, I’d like to hear from you. I’ll approve any comment from an expert telling me I’m all wrong.
Climate change isn't occurring -> Climate change is occurring but people aren't a cause -> ok, we are a cause but other things... -> Human impacts are too expensive to address ->
...?
-> We're fucked so no sense trying to keep things from being fucked worse
Climate change isn't occurring -> Climate change is occurring but people aren't a cause -> ok, we are a cause but other things... -> Human impacts are too expensive to address ->
...?
-> We're fucked so no sense trying to keep things from being fucked worse
NCEI
in Asheville has been significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene. We
are working to resolve these issues as soon as possible. We apologize
for any inconvenience.
So much for the data telling them where to locate their center.
NCEI
in Asheville has been significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene. We
are working to resolve these issues as soon as possible. We apologize
for any inconvenience.
So much for the data telling them where to locate their center.
I was born in 1994, when the concentration of COâ in the atmosphere was measured at 360 parts per million; today it is close to 420. Furnaces, engines and former forests emitted 23 billion tonnes of this planet-warming gas in 1994; today they spew more than 37 billion tonnes. With some exceptions (economic downturns, the pandemic), humanity has released more COâ into the atmosphere each year than the one before it for at least two centuries.
Earth is not only hotter as a result of all this additional greenhouse gas, it is also getting hotter at a faster and faster rate. Where did it all begin? Figuring that out can tell us who or what is responsible â and what a possible solution looks like. (...)
