WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus’ Associate Senior Director of Think 100% Jasmine Gil issued the following statement in response to the more than 200 wildfires ravaging over 2,000 acres in North Carolina and South Carolina:

“As a South Carolina native now living in North Carolina, I have deep roots and cherished memories in both states, and it is heartbreaking to witness these wildfires devastate the communities I call home. These fires are not isolated events. From the Carolinas to California, we are seeing the dangerous reality of climate change in real-time, as rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather conditions fuel more frequent and intense wildfires.

The wildfires sweeping through our region, just like those in Louisiana in 2023  and across the West this year, are a direct consequence of a warming planet that is fueled by fossil fuel pollution. Our communities, especially Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities, are on the frontlines—breathing in toxic smoke, losing homes, and facing long-term health and economic consequences.

This is not the time to cut back on critical agencies like NOAA and the EPA, or to weaken the very environmental regulations and monitoring systems that keep us safe. Our ability to track storms, predict wildfires, and respond to environmental disasters depends on fully-resourced agencies, and accurate and timely information sharing. And as the House reconciliation bill moves through Congress, the well-being of our people and planet must be prioritized over tax cuts to the fossil fuel industry.

Hip Hop Caucus calls for bold and urgent climate action now because we cannot afford to delay solutions and continue to put our people, our homes and our futures at risk.”