Why ‘Natural Disaster’ Is a Political Term

Nicole Chunye, Political Columnist

Hurricane Melissa, a devastating storm, recently swept over Jamaica, destroying farms, investments, and many people’s lives. According to the British Red Cross and AP News, the storm’s ferocity was among the worst the island has ever faced. It tore through communities with catastrophic winds and relentless rain, leaving many homes destroyed and thousands of citizens displaced.

While many describe it as a ‘natural disaster,’ experts at World Weather Attribution say climate change driven by humans intensified its impact. The words we use matter because calling events like this ‘natural’ risks overshadowing our role in creating and preventing future catastrophes.

This hurricane crashed into Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm, bringing with it sustained winds of around 185 mph and torrential rainfall that battered the island for hours (World Weather Attribution, 2025). The hurricane’s slow movement over unusually warm seas increased its strength, releasing catastrophic floods and landslides (The Guardian, 2025). Infrastructure was washed away, roofs were torn off homes, and power outages left hundreds of people without electricity. Climate researchers have noted that Melissa marks an ‘extraordinary’ event; one of the most intense storms in Jamaica’s recorded history (Imperial College, 2025). So far, this sounds like a ‘natural’ catastrophe; however, the reality behind its strength reveals something much more human.

Scientists from World Weather Attribution have confirmed that climate change intensified key characteristics of Hurricane Melissa. Their investigation found that heavy rainfall events of this magnitude in Jamaica are now about 30% more intense and twice as likely to occur because of human-induced warming. 'PreventionWeb' explains that warmer ocean waters contribute extra fuel for hurricanes, while a hotter and more humid atmosphere holds and releases more moisture. Like Melissa, slower-moving storms then spend longer over land, creating more destruction. Researchers estimate that extreme conditions like the ones seen last month are now roughly six times more likely due to climate change. Although Melissa was meteorological in origin, its sheer power was anything but ‘natural.’ It was shaped, intensified, and prolonged by human activity.

When we define hurricanes like Melissa as ‘natural disasters,’ we imply that nature is the only blame. This sort of language leads to a quiet erasure of the human role in fuelling these catastrophes. This dulls our sense of urgency and accountability. If we view storms like this as unavoidable acts of nature, recovery becomes reactive, focused on rebuilding what was lost rather than preventing another tragedy from happening. People changing the language they use may also force governments to change their priorities. Recognising hurricanes like Melissa as climate-amplified disasters pushes policymakers to confront the role of weak climate adaptation, underfunded infrastructure, and delayed emission cuts. Rather than rebuild after destruction.

Another issue that comes with the language currently used to describe climate disasters is that it reveals deeper political inequalities. Nations like Jamaica, which contribute the least to global emissions, often are the countries that suffer most when it comes to climate disasters. Calling these events what they are would pressure wealthier nations and governments to deliver on their climate finance and adaptation promises.

With wildfires, floods, and droughts now occurring more frequently and violently around the world, our language needs to evolve. Terms like ‘climate-amplified disaster’ or ‘human-influenced extreme weather event’ may sound technical, but they tell a more honest story. They tell a story that reminds us that prevention begins with acknowledging our part.

Hurricane Melissa’s devastation in Jamaica was driven by more than fierce winds and torrential rain; it was intensified by our planet growing warmer and more unstable. The language we use matters: when we call it a ‘natural disaster,’ we quietly absolve ourselves of responsibility. If we change how we talk about these events, we might also change how we act and maybe even prevent the next one from ever happening.

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