“There’s none so blind as those who will not listen.” - Neil Gaman
Tornadoes devastate thousands of lives. Republicans deny climate change and block investments that would reduce its harm in the states they represent. What gives?
Republicans refuse to listen to climate experts. Follow the Fossil Fuel political donations that buy Republican climate change denials.
- Real-time map of recent storms across America and the damage they cause
- What the experts warn about future storms caused by climate change
- Biggest recipients of political donations from fossil fuel firms
- Climate change denials from Republican senators in ravaged states
- How the Democratic infrastructure plan fights climate change
- How you can encourage your senator to fight climate change
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Climate change ravages America
"The steady warming of the planet is making a broad array of extreme weather disasters more likely and more intense... More people lie in the paths of future tornadoes and other extreme weather events." - WaPo
The cost of responding to disasters totals more than $81 billion per year. “It’s a choice between spending now or spending more in the future.” - Craig Fugate, former head of FEMA. “If we want to limit these probabilities, if we want to limit the damages, then we should start to do something for real about mitigating. And we need to start now.” - Claudia Tebaldi, earth scientist.- HuffPo
"A warming world could add more fuel to tornadoes, scientists say. In the wake of deadly storms that ravaged parts of the South and the Midwest this weekend, scientists had a warning: While the exact link between climate change and tornadoes remains uncertain, higher temperatures could add fuel to these violent disasters. Climate scientists said people around the world needed to brace for more frequent and intense weather-driven catastrophes. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service are surveying damage to determine whether this week’s storm was a single tornado or several. If it was a single tornado traveling on the ground without interruption for 250 miles, it will rank as the longest tornado track in U.S. history and the first to cross through four states." - Washington Post
Republican climate change deniers
"The Republican Party stands alone in its denial of the legitimacy of climate science. Indeed, the Republican Party stands alone in its conviction that no national or international response to climate change is needed." - NY Mag
"The fossil fuel industry’s political action committees (PACs) have bankrolled lawmakers who supported overturning the 2020 election, contributing about $8.8 million over the past three election cycles to 132 out of 147 members of Congress who voted against certifying the electoral college. Koch Industries ($1.495 million), ExxonMobil ($916,00), Marathon Petroleum ($805,000), Chevron ($629,000) and Valero Energy ($514,000) were the largest fossil fuel donors to congressional election denialists since 2016." - Public Citizen
"The oil and gas industry has pumped millions into Republican campaigns. Ted Cruz was among the biggest beneficiaries of fossil fuel support to his Super Pac. Cruz, who more than any other Republican candidate openly rejects mainstream science on climate change, banked some 57% of the funds to his Super Pac, or about $25m, from fossil fuel interests." - Guardian
Political donations from fossil fuel firms blocks fight against climate change
Report: Fossil Fuel PACs Donated $8.8 Million to Republican ‘Sedition Caucus’.
"The fossil fuel industry’s political action committees (PACs) have bankrolled lawmakers who supported overturning the 2020 election, contributing about $8.8 million over the past three election cycles to 132 out of 147 members of Congress who voted against certifying the electoral college, according to a new report by Public Citizen.
Since the insurrection, many corporations have tried to distance themselves from members of the GOP’s “sedition caucus” despite bankrolling their campaigns. Koch Industries ($1.495 million), ExxonMobil ($916,00), Marathon Petroleum ($805,000), Chevron ($629,000) and Valero Energy ($514,000) were the largest fossil fuel donors to congressional election denialists since 2016. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and U.S. Reps. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Garrett Graves (R-La.) were the top recipients of these fossil fuel corporate PAC contributions, according to the analysis of campaign finance data." - Public Citizen
How the "Tornadoes devastate thousands" StoryMap was designed
- A short excerpt from the NPR / Brandon Clement WxChasing was used to highlight the tornado damage
- A national weather map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Details on political donations from Open Secrets, Public Citizen and Guardian
- Editorial quotes from Washington Post, NY Times, NY Mag, HuffPost and Mother Jones
- A call to action to remind Senators to serve the people whose taxes pay their salaries from Senate.gov
TakeAway: Call out politicians who deny climate change and put the interests of their fossil fuel donors above the American citizens whose taxes pay their salaries.
Deepak
DemLabs
