In 2017, the U.S. saw some of the strongest and most expensive storms in history. And climate experts say that as global temperatures continue to rise, things will only get worse, and more costly. “If you increase the ocean temperatures, you will increase how strong hurricanes can become. That’s unequivocal.” And as these storms strengthen, the astronomical costs associated with them will rise, too. How much are we talking here? The superstorms and wildfires of 2017 cost the U.S. a record-breaking $306 billion. To put that into perspective, that’s more than triple the amount that the federal government spends on education in a year. This warmer climate also enables fires to burn larger areas. In 2017 the U.S. Forest Service spent over 50 percent of its budget putting out fires, and it can no longer keep up with the costs. So we’re already paying big for climate change. But as these storms help sink the U.S. further into debt, the Trump administration is dismantling policy and reducing funding that’s aimed at mitigating these problems. “Since my very first day in office, I have been moving at record pace to cancel these regulations and to eliminate the barriers to domestic energy production like never before.” The Trump administration has sought to reverse at least 60 environmental rules that it sees as overly burdensome to the fossil fuel industry. “Politicians almost at any level, it seems, struggle with the concept that yes, you have this big expense now, for mitigation, but it’s actually less costly than the expense of recovery.” Let’s look back at the three major hurricanes of last season, each of which showcased a different aspect of how global warming can fuel these destructive and costly storms. In Rockport, Tex., Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm with winds of up to 130 miles per hour. It tore half this house and many others to shreds. “This was our bedroom that we used. Yeah, it just kind of ripped everything off.” “We’re not sure if we’re going to have enough to rebuild. So it all depends.” Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damages, making it one of the costliest hurricanes ever. A lot of that cost is due to flooding, which devastated Houston. There’s never been this much water released from one storm system ever in the U.S. And global warming is partly to blame. “Warming temperatures allows the air to hold more water. And so we do expect rain rates to increase under global warming.” Flooding costs can be overwhelming. According to FEMA, just one inch of flooding in a home would cost a household over $50,000. At over 20 inches of flooding, like in this home, the costs can soar up to $150,000. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” The National Flood Insurance Program, virtually the only source of flood insurance for millions of Americans, can’t afford to help pay for these mega-floods anymore. It’s been in debt since Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans back in 2005. And just two days before Harvey hit Texas, President Trump signed an executive order to revoke an Obama-era rule that required new federal infrastructure projects to be built to higher flood standards. Environmentalists say the rule protected taxpayer money from going to projects that are threatened by flooding. In Florida, Hurricane Irma ravaged the state and became the longest-lasting powerful hurricane ever recorded. “What was unprecedented about Irma was that it reached about 185 miles per hour and it stayed there for about a day and a half.” And despite the fact that the strongest winds missed Florida, it still had ample time to damage vast swaths of land, much of it agricultural. Preliminary losses to agriculture are at $2.5 billion. “Hi. We lost everything.” “There’s a price to pay no matter where you live. I choose hurricanes over anything else because you have weeks to prepare for them. But as you can see, you can prepare and prepare and it’s not never enough.” Preparations for hurricanes can only go so far as sea levels continue to rise. Over the last two decades, the oceans around South Florida’s coast have risen an inch every five years. “Let’s say we had these latest hurricanes 80 years ago. Sea levels were lower. The exact same storm surge that would’ve occurred would not have been as severe.” In Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria went from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 in less than a day, allowing for almost no time to prepare. And that lack of preparation, slow government response and the island’s poor infrastructure meant people were stuck underwater for days and in the dark for months. The damages in Puerto Rico alone add up to $90 billion. “These are huge numbers we’re talking about. And I don’t think taxpayers have any idea how much money they’re already paying for climate change.”