Impacts of climate change downplayed by FEMA
17 July 2018 (Silencing Science Tracker) – On 13 July 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released an After Action Report on the 2017 hurricane season. The report notes that the 2017 season was especially damaging, with “three major hurricanes in quick succession.” The report does not, however, discuss the impact of climate change on hurricane intensity and frequency. In fact, the term “climate change” do not appear anywhere in the 65-page report.Speaking about the report at an event on 17 July 2018, FEMA Deputy Administrator for Resilience Daniel Kaniewski seemed to misrepresent climate science. He appeared to suggest that climate change is a natural phenomenon, stating “[w]ith regards to climate I think we can all acknowledge that the climate shifts, it changes over time.” Numerous scientific studies indicate that human activities are the primary driver of climate change.
