North Carolinians already know the devastating effects of hurricanes, droughts, and other climate challenges. In fact, 72% of North Carolinians believe in climate change, and 60% are worried about climate change. Yet Donald Trump, Thom Tillis, and their allies in Congress have put their heads in the sand — denying the reality of the climate crisis, ignoring experts, and putting our health and our jobs at risk.

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THE CRISIS

With every passing day, the costs of Trump’s inaction — his denial of the facts and the anti-science agenda he shares with allies like Martha McSally — become clearer and clearer.

In just the last 10 years, hurricanes like Dorian, Florence, and Matthew have caused $342 billion in damage, cost 567 lives, and caused repeated (and record) flooding in spots like the Outer Banks.

Heatwaves and drought have cost billions and taken the lives of nearly 100 North Carolinians.

And across the state, Black communities, as well as Indigenous and other frontline communities, bear the brunt of toxic air, chemical-laden coal ash, and other pollutants.

Without bold action on climate change, these problems will only grow worse.

We need to act now on climate.

THE COSTS

Hurricanes. Drought. Wildfires. Extreme heat. Air pollution. Lost jobs and lost income. The costs of Donald Trump’s war on science grow every single day:

• In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina led the country for clean energy jobs in rural areas. And it was ranked as one of the top 10 states for clean energy employment. But we’re being held back from even more good-paying jobs: Analysis shows that Trump and Tillis’ war on clean energy has cost us 18,340 jobs in North Carolina.

• The combination of stronger hurricanes, a rollback of offshore safety drilling rules, and sea-level rise put our coasts at extreme risk. By 2100, the Outer Banks could be broken up or lost due to sea-level rise. We’ll see more and more devastating hurricanes along the lines of Dorian, Florence, and Harvey. And industries like tourism and recreational fishing, which support tens of thousands of North Carolina jobs, could be in danger.

• By 2050, the number of extreme heat days in North Carolina is expected to grow six times. Already, in 2018, North Carolina recorded 4,593 emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses — what will a sixfold increase in the number of extreme heat days do?

• Agriculture represented one-sixth of North Carolina’s economy in 2017, employing 728,000 workers, and yet climate change is projected to cause an 11% loss in crop yields in North Carolina.

• Today, Black North Carolinians are twice as likely to live near an EPA-registered polluter than white residents. The anti-science fanaticism of Donald Trump, enabled by allies like Thom Tillis, is especially harmful to people of color in the state.

FROM OUR RESEARCH TEAM

• Climate Disasters in North Carolina
• What Do Trump’s Attacks On Science Mean For North Carolina?
• Siding With Special Interests: Thom Tillis
• State of Play: North Carolina