The Facts
South Africa has activated its National Defence Force to support disaster relief for devastating flooding in the KwaZulu-Natal province. 10k troops will support clean-up, logistics, medical operations, rescue, and reconnaissance.
As of Mon., 440 people were confirmed dead with 63 missing in the rapidly-evolving disaster. 4k homes were destroyed and another 8k were damaged.
The Spin
Narrative A
There's no doubt the catastrophic floods are due to climate change. This disaster is sending a message that climate change is serious and it's here, right now.
Narrative B
It's impossible to attribute individual weather events occurring over short time frames to global warming - even if more extreme events are generally increasing over time.
Narrative C
This tragedy is a teachable moment. 90% of African cities don't have a substantial climate adaptation plan. Durban did release a Climate Action Plan in 2020, but unfortunately there's no evidence it's being implemented.
