Brace yourselves, climate warriors! The first half of 2025 was officially the costliest ever for natural disasters in the U.S., racking up a jaw-dropping $101 billion in damages. From blazing wildfires around Los Angeles to mega-storms sweeping the nation, these events hit hard—with wallets, homes, and hopes feeling the burn.🔥
But here’s the plot twist: NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the go-to agency for tracking these mega-disasters, has actually stopped keeping tabs on the price tags. Yep, you read that right. After recent budget cuts by the Trump administration, NOAA is no longer updating its climate disaster cost tracker.🔍❌
Why does this matter? For starters, losing that data makes it way tougher to understand the true impact of climate change—especially when every heatwave, hurricane, and wildfire seems to be leveling up in intensity. Without solid numbers, activists, policymakers, and researchers are navigating in the dark.🕶️🌪️
CGTN's Ediz Tiyansan warns that skipping these regular updates could slow down our response to man-made climate change. Think of it like playing your favorite video game on hard mode—but with no map or health bar.🙈🎮
Looking ahead, scientists and advocates are calling on lawmakers to restore funding and bring back the tracker. 🌍🛠️ Having clear, up-to-date data is key if we want to craft smarter policies, protect communities, and maybe even level up our green tech game. After all, knowledge is power—and in the fight against climate disaster, it could be the difference between hitting 'continue' and 'game over.'📊⚡
Stay tuned and keep pushing for transparency—because when the stakes are sky-high, every stat counts.💪🌱
Reference(s):
Climate disasters hit record costs as tracking system is shut down
cgtn.com
