In Phoenix, Arizona, a massive wind storm known as a "
haboob" swept through the area. Walls of dust that were
thousands of feet high and several miles wide, with gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, raced through the region -
tearing down trees, reducing visibility on roads and bridges, destroying power lines, and even grounding flights at the Phoenix International Airport.
Upwards of 60,000 households were left without power. A connector bridge at the airport was completely lacerated and ripped apart.
And this is partially because the state government, as well as the U.S. federal government, aren't doing enough to fight the climate change conditions that are worsening these types of natural disasters.
Arizona must take action to fight climate change by promoting sustainable energy and discouraging the use of climate-altering fossil fuels! Sign the petition!Haboobs aren't a new phenomenon. But they
get worse as atmospheric temperatures rise and droughts increase arid conditions on the ground - in under words, under climate change. As a result, the thunderstorms associated with haboobs have increased in intensity over the past 50 years. Meanwhile, less frequent rains have left the Earth more and more barren, with desert-like areas growing.
This perfect combination of increased drought and more intense storms is precisely what sets the conditions for such terrifying haboob wind storms. Meteorologists compare the phenomenon to a desert version of a blizzard.
And at the same time, Arizonans have also been grappling with record heat waves, with temperatures in the triple-digits Fahrenheit.
Arizonans don't deserve to suffer in this way - and neither does anyone else on the planet. Even wildlife are affected by these storms and desertification! Sign the petition to demand the Arizona government take action to help the state move away from dirty energy sources towards renewables in order to fight climate change!