Climate change is real.

These words should reverberate through the heads of those who are tracking the courses of Hurricanes Jose and Maria, those who are surveying the damage caused by Harvey and Irma, and those who are deciding what to do next. We are past the point that we can deny its existence, or claim that “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese”.

Climate change is real, and it has had an undeniable effect on the environment. Climate scientists claim that, though there is no definite data to back up the fact that the hurricanes were caused by climate change, there is proof that they were worsened. According to NPR, storms have grown bigger since the ocean’s temperature started rising as recently as 75 years ago and heat started providing the fuel for powerful hurricanes like Harvey. We won’t know to what extent climate change affected the specific cases of Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria until climatologists are able to fully collect and analyze data, but claiming that climate change not only had no effect but is a hoax is explicitly harmful.

Though some may argue that it’s too early to talk about climate change when people are still rebuilding their lives in the wake of the destruction, the time to discuss is now, when we can so clearly see the effects. Putting recent events into perspective may help politicians and public figures who were previously on the fence take a firm stance and assist scientists and environmental activists in their efforts to educate the public.

Climate change is a when, not an if problem. And Texas should really know that when is now, as thousands of people attempt to find lost belongings, rebuild their homes, and restore normalcy in their lives. We must think of those who’ve lost everything.