Orange Sky Alert

Orange Sky Alert is an independent project that scores whether Core Democratic Officials name Republican Obstruction of Climate Action after climate-related disasters.

Climate change is making so-called natural disasters more frequent and more severe. In the seven-day observation window after one becomes national news, those officials almost never name who blocked prevention. The argument is on The Divide.

A thought experiment

For more than twenty-five years, Republicans have sided with big oil and coal, and reversed, blocked, or delayed climate action. That has stymied action to address the problem in the United States and worldwide. Democratic leaders mention that record in fights over bills, but rarely after climate-related disasters.

Suppose the roles were reversed. If Democrats had spent twenty-five years blocking climate bills while disasters grew worse, Republicans would not treat each wildfire, flood, or heat wave as a one-off. After every one, the line would be some version of this:

Anecdotally, for more than a decade, after each climate-related disaster, the same silence: Democrats mention weather, rescue, and aid, but not who blocked prevention. This project exists to see whether that impression is systematic.