On Thursday, September 26, Hurricane Helene struck the Florida Gulf Coast. Prior to its landfall, Southern Appalachia, a rugged and mountainous area characterized by numerous streams, rivers, and reservoirs, had already begun to experience rainfall. Flooding commenced that evening, and by late Friday, over a foot of rain had accumulated across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rivers overflowed, submerging low-lying regions. The Swannanoa River, which flows near my residence in Asheville, NC, reached a peak of 26.10 feet, surpassing the previous record by 6 feet and exceeding flood stage by 16 feet. The town of Chimney Rock, NC, faced near-total devastation. Restoration of electricity, cell phone service, and access to clean drinking water and food is only now approaching pre-storm conditions. Interstates 26 and 40 sustained damage, with portions still closed. Although floodwaters have receded and cleanup efforts are underway, it will take months to restore normalcy.
The extent of destruction in Southern Appalachia was unforeseen. Helene has been described as a 1-in-1000-year event. Situated over 2,100 feet above sea level and nearly 300 miles inland, Asheville, NC, is not typically regarded as hurricane territory. While the region is accustomed to the remnants of storms and the accompanying rain and flooding, this occurrence is unprecedented. Asheville has even been referred to as a refuge from climate change, a designation that is increasingly becoming outdated.
As residents of Appalachia grapple with the severe consequences of our climate future, the United States continues to extend military and financial support to Israel, which is engaged in bombing campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene and the escalation of conflict in the Middle East may appear unrelated. However, they are interconnected through the United States’s commitment to extensive militarization, imperial hubris, the worsening of climate change, and a persistent refusal to pursue a just global future.
In August, the United States committed to providing Israel with $3.5 billion for military expenditures, which was subsequently increased to $8.7 billion in September. This funding is in addition to the substantial annual aid Israel receives from the United States, not to mention the intelligence and military support from other allied nations. The human cost has been staggering, with tens of thousands of Palestinians and thousands of Lebanese lives lost. Nearly 2 million residents of Gaza and over 1 million Lebanese, representing almost one-fifth of Lebanon’s population, have been displaced. While Israel and the United States assert that their military operations are aimed at Hamas and Hezbollah, the significant civilian casualties and the extensive destruction of urban areas raise serious questions about the validity of these claims.
Moreover, it is troubling that the United States, which professes to advocate for the rights of its citizens, has remained largely silent as Israel targets American individuals. In addition to the Palestinian-Americans who have been killed or trapped in Palestine, the American Embassy in Beirut announced on September 27 that it would not facilitate the evacuation of U.S. nationals, advising them to find their own means of escape. Consequently, U.S. citizens in Beirut are left vulnerable amid airstrikes unless they can afford exorbitant ticket prices.
The prioritization of imperial interests over the safety of its own citizens is a longstanding pattern for the United States. In 2022, an IDF sniper fatally shot Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist with Al-Jazeera, in Jenin, while in 2003, Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist, was killed by an Israeli bulldozer during her protest against the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza. In both instances, there was no accountability. This disregard for American lives can be traced back to 1967, when Israel attacked the USS Liberty during the Six-Day War, resulting in the deaths of 34 U.S. service members; this incident was subsequently obscured by both Israel and the United States.
The United States’s commitment to Israel’s wars is likewise a climate disaster that facilitates intensified storms like Hurricane Helene. Israel’s bombing campaign will be one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in 2024. Nearly half of its emissions come from arms supply flights from the United States. Similarly, the U.S. military emits more carbon than many industrialized nations. Beyond the catastrophic damage to civilian infrastructure and farmland in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere victim to America’s “War on Terror,” U.S. militarism and Israel’s wars will have severe impacts on the planet’s climate, especially as it appears that they show no signs of slowing; if anything, they will only intensify.
The commitment of the United States to military endeavors raises concerns regarding the welfare of its citizens. In addition to the absence of universal healthcare, education, and paid parental leave, the nation’s infrastructure has suffered from neglect for decades, further intensifying the impact of climate change on communities in Southern Appalachia and elsewhere. The 2017 Infrastructure Report Card assigned a grade of D+ to the nation’s infrastructure. Seven years ago, the same agency projected that an increase in annual infrastructure investment by 2.5% to 3.5% of U.S. GDP would be necessary by 2025. Although the $1.2 trillion allocated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act represents progress, it is significantly inadequate when juxtaposed with the Pentagon’s budget of $849.8 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. The stark contrast between such substantial military expenditure, which has not undergone an audit in six years, and the investment in the nation’s physical infrastructure is both astonishing and irresponsible.
Furthermore, the trend of militarization and the U.S. relationship with Israel is increasingly reflected in domestic policies. Since the late 1970s, police budgets in the United States have surged by an alarming 189%. In this context, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been involved in training U.S. police officers, and the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems is planning to implement Artificial Intelligence technologies along the U.S.-Mexican border. The establishment of Cop Cities across the nation underscores a commitment to heightened domestic policing. However, these Cop Cities also pose significant ecological threats; for instance, the Cop City project near Atlanta necessitates the destruction of 171 acres of forestland in Georgia, which plays a crucial role in oxygen production and rainwater absorption. Similar to the situation in Appalachia, Atlanta experienced severe flooding due to Hurricane Helene, and the ongoing deforestation will exacerbate these challenges.
The commitment of the United States to military endeavors raises concerns regarding the welfare of its citizens. In addition to the absence of universal healthcare, education, and paid parental leave, the nation’s infrastructure has suffered from neglect for decades, further intensifying the impact of climate change on communities in Southern Appalachia and elsewhere. The 2017 Infrastructure Report Card assigned a grade of D+ to the nation’s infrastructure. Seven years ago, the same agency projected that an increase in annual infrastructure investment by 2.5% to 3.5% of U.S. GDP would be necessary by 2025. Although the $1.2 trillion allocated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act represents progress, it is significantly inadequate when juxtaposed with the Pentagon’s budget of $849.8 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. The stark contrast between such substantial military expenditure, which has not undergone an audit in six years, and the investment in the nation’s physical infrastructure is both astonishing and irresponsible.
Furthermore, the trend of militarization and the U.S. relationship with Israel is increasingly reflected in domestic policies. Since the late 1970s, police budgets in the United States have surged by an alarming 189%. In this context, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been involved in training U.S. police officers, and the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems is planning to implement Artificial Intelligence technologies along the U.S.-Mexican border. The establishment of Cop Cities across the nation underscores a commitment to heightened domestic policing. However, these Cop Cities also pose significant ecological threats; for instance, the Cop City project near Atlanta necessitates the destruction of 171 acres of forestland in Georgia, which plays a crucial role in oxygen production and rainwater absorption. Similar to the situation in Appalachia, Atlanta experienced severe flooding due to Hurricane Helene, and the ongoing deforestation will exacerbate these challenges.
An empire of this nature lacks a sustainable future. As global temperatures rise at unprecedented levels, Israel’s aggressive stance, supported by the United States, continues to create instability in the Middle East. Furthermore, there is a noticeable absence of a unified determination to address the challenges we encounter. Consequently, the aspiration for an American empire appears to be at an impasse. Currently, we are hurtling towards disaster, while those capable of averting it seem intent on hastening the crisis. Our sole prospect lies in the recognition that our future can only be secured through collective effort.
