Defunding Climate Science Puts Us All at Risk

I was midway through my morning run when I first heard the thunder roll above Brooklyn. What started as a sprinkle turned into a torrential downpour in a matter of minutes. By the time I got back inside, my Instagram and TikTok feeds were literally flooded with live videos of New Yorkers standing on subway seats and women and children clinging to subway entrance gates just to stay above water.

Growing up in New Jersey, preparing for hurricane season by refreshing flashlight batteries and buying extra toilet paper was a late summer ritual. It came with the expectation of a few fallen branches in town or perhaps a brief power outage. But the storms have grown stronger, and now it is not just coastal communities taking the hit.

New York is not the only state facing this reality. Across the Gulf South, what meteorologists once called "100-year storms" now threaten to become regular occurrences. In Texas, the Guadalupe River recently surged beyond its banks, submerging homes and highways leaving devastation and loss in its path. This is just another example of how rising atmospheric temperatures are contributing to the normalcy of extreme weather events.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), spring temperatures across the Gulf Region were 1°F to 5°F above normal, and parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama saw 150% to 300% of their usual rainfall.

Rising sea levels, crumbling infrastructure, and outdated drainage systems mean that floodwater has nowhere to go but into our homes and our transit systems. And just as the risks are rising, the federal government is threatening to cut funding for the very agencies that warn us when storms are coming. NOAA and the National Weather Service provide real time alerts and lifesaving climate data. Without critical funding, it would not mean less accurate weather forecasts, it could be a matter of life and death. Real-time alerts save lives by giving people in storm paths crucial information about how to respond to dangerous weather. Without these systems, the people who would suffer most are those who always bear the brunt of disasters: low-income communities, the elderly, Black and Brown families, and people with disabilities.

NASA warns that we’re rapidly approaching a 2°C global temperature increase. This is a critical threshold that scientists say will trigger more frequent fires, floods, crop failures, and forced migration. And we already see the effects of this steady incline in our day to day lives.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we are reminded of what happens when vulnerable communities are left to face climate disasters without adequate preparation and support.

For my generation, Gen-Z, this is the climate reality we inherited. We're watching the planet heat up while elected officials try to defund the very systems designed to help us survive what is coming. Every cut to environmental protections and denial of the crisis unfolding around us puts real lives at risk.

The solution here is taking direct action. In my home state of New Jersey, and in every state facing these crises, voting matters. Local organizing matters. We need city councils, governors, and federal agencies that take environmental justice seriously. Without that, we’re just waiting for the next flood. Hip Hop Caucus’s Respect My Vote! campaign was designed for moments like this. It is time to recognize that real policy change that affects us every day is happening on the state and local level. We cannot afford to sit out during any election season. New Jersey’s Governor, State House, school boards, municipal governments, and other special seats are all up for election this year. Check your registration, and make a plan to vote in 2025.