By: Ale Griffo
President Joe Biden went to California in January to find solutions for its recent devastating storm.
In California, he met with some of the communities hammered by weeks of torrential rainfall.
It was some of the most intense torrential rainfall in California’s history.
Biden was clear about the reason for this catastrophe.
“If anybody doubts that the climate is changing, then they must have been asleep during the last couple of years,” Biden said at Seacliff State Beach.
Nowadays climate change is a real problem.
The most alarming fact is that similar disasters have been happening for a while.
At Aptos’ Seacliff State Beach, storms knocked half a pier into the ocean, destroyed the seawall, and caused $30 million in damage.
Storm damage was recorded in 41 of the state’s 58 counties.
In California since last December nine atmospheric rivers collapsed hillsides, downing massive trees, breaking levees, and flooding residences.
Biden promised more federal help for climate change disasters.
He stated: “Extreme weather caused by climate change means stronger and more frequent storms, more intense droughts, longer wildfire seasons ― all of which threaten communities across California. We have to invest in stronger infrastructure to lessen the impact of these disasters because they become cumulative, in a sense. We’ve already allocated funding from the infrastructure law that I signed a year ago.”
He has already made strides toward managing the effects of climate change through the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which sends $400 billion in federal funding to clean energy.
Biden also promoted U.S. innovation in clean energy through electric vehicles and more.
The president spoke about farmers and ranchers who saw crops and livestock washed away by the storms in the state of California, who are also eligible for low-interest loans and grants to rebuild.
Gavin Newson, the governor of California, spoke before the president. “They’re maintaining hope that search and rescue teams can find and save 5-year-old Kyle Doan. He was swept away by floodwaters while heading to school with his mother in San Miguel.”
Kassie Siegel, leader of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, said in an interview with Voice of America, “We cannot fix this problem without strong government action, and that needs to start by confronting the fossil fuel companies that are at the heart of the problem and have sought to distract, deny and delay for so long.”
Environmental activists and campaigners immediately asked for more government involvement in climate change problems. Starting from declaring a climate emergency.
Caroline Henderson, Greenpeace USA senior climate campaigner asked: “How many more lives must be lost? How many more decimated homes must President Biden and Governor Newson visit? Last year, President Biden said that he would deal with the climate emergency, but we have seen very little action. It’s time for him to make good on those words by declaring a climate emergency.”
