Hurricane Milton man-made? The many conspiracies swirling in the US
As Florida prepared for the onslaught of Hurricane Milton, conspiracy theories that the Democrats are creating "man-made" hurricanes to sabotage Donald Trump's chances of winning the election took off. Other users blamed "geoengineering"—a wide range of methods to manipulate the environment in order to mitigate the consequences of climate change. The baseless allegations have been doing the rounds since Hurricane Helene struck the US two weeks ago.
Climate change and rising water temperatures fuel hurricanes
Hurricanes form when a tropical wave of air sweeps across a warm ocean, creating a low pressure area that causes warm air to rise. The warmer the water, the more fuel for a hurricane, and due to climate change, water temperatures are rising. Over the last four decades, the ocean has absorbed around 90% of the warming from greenhouse gas emissions. This has resulted in more powerful, rapidly intensifying storms like Hurricane Milton.
Conspiracy theories gain momentum amid hurricane threats
The conspiracy theories picked up steam when Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the United States House of Representatives, claimed that "they can control the weather." Taylor Greene shared a video on X that appears to support the idea that extreme weather occurrences like this could be created. Elon Musk, owner of platform X and a public supporter of Donald Trump for November's election, also weighed in. He claimed FEMA was "actively blocking" aid to people in need.
It's unclear who 'they' are
FEMA and President Biden condemn hurricane-related misinformation
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which handles disaster and emergency management in the US, has condemned these online conspiracy theories. "The claims about FEMA confiscating or taking commodities, supplies or resources in North Carolina, Tennessee, or any state impacted by Helene are false," said public affairs director Jaclyn Rothenberg. President Joe Biden also addressed the nation on Wednesday night, criticizing the misinformation surrounding Hurricane Milton. He said, "It's beyond ridiculous. It's gotta stop."
