Letter to the Editor:
2023 brought billion-dollar weather disasters, causing significant financial and personal losses in NewHampshire and nationwide. A new Pew Research Center survey asked Americans if they had experienced a weather disaster?
If they had, what was the impact? Was it related to climate change? And what actions do they support to address weather-related damage?
70% of Americans said in the past year, they’ve experienced at least one type of extreme weather:
severe floods or intense storms
unusually hot weather
droughts
wildfires
rising sea level
Those who say they suffered negative impacts of extreme weather describe a host of consequences, ranging from property damage and elevated utility/insurance bills to disruptions to daily life and anxiety.
According to the survey, most Americans (73%) want stricter building standards in areas vulnerable to extreme weather. They however do not want more aggressive steps, like building bans or requiring people to move out of these areas.
More than half (57%) of respondents support aid for communities to rebuild after extreme weather events, while 20% say this is a bad idea. Asked if we should provide support for affected homeowners, e.g. help them cover the rising cost of home insurance, this is more divided. 40% saying this is a good idea and 34% saying it is a bad idea. But when asked about the government buying people’s homes in high-risk areas so they can purchase ones in lower-risk areas, 38% thought this was a bad idea (25% good idea).
Do you think climate change, greater than usual extreme weather, is happening? What proof do you use when explaining your climate change position? What do you think should be done to reduce the costs to all of us?
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