Another Disaster — Clear The Way

Are Natural Disasters Clearing the Way for Energy Projects and Sustainable Land Use?

Natural disasters—wildfires, hurricanes, floods—are reshaping the American landscape at an alarming rate. But what happens in the aftermath? In places like Texas, North Carolina, and beyond, a pattern seems to emerge: land cleared by catastrophe, left fallow or restricted, then transformed into energy projects or “sustainable” developments. Is this just opportunism, or is something more deliberate at play? Let’s examine the evidence, from Texas wildfires to global agendas, and question the forces reshaping our world.

Texas Wildfires: A Case Study in Land Clearing

On August 12, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster for 191 counties due to “elevated wildfire danger,” mobilizing 250 firefighters, 33 aircraft, and National Guard resources, as announced on Texas.gov. The Texas A&M Forest Service reported 8,500 acres burned since August 1, 2023, but historical fires like the 2024 Smokehouse Creek Fire scorched over 1 million acres, making it the state’s largest. These fires don’t just destroy—they clear land, displace residents, and tank property values, creating a blank slate.

Post-fire, recovery often stalls. Rural areas see slow infrastructure repair—roads stay crumbled, aid lags. X posts from Texans in 2024 complained of FEMA’s sluggish response after wildfires, with some families still in trailers months later. Meanwhile, developers circle. In Texas, solar farms are booming—Solar Energy Industries Association notes the state added 7,374 MW of solar capacity from 2020-2024, often on cleared or cheap land. Wildfires make prime real estate: flat, vegetation-free, and dirt-cheap after disaster.

The Energy Rush: Lithium, Solar, and Beyond

It’s not just Texas. After Hurricane Helene in 2024, North Carolina’s Kings Mountain Belt—a lithium-rich zone—saw whispers of mining interest. The USGS projects a lithium supply crunch by 2030, and companies like Albemarle are eyeing post-disaster land. Arkansas’s Smackover Formation, another lithium hotspot, has ExxonMobil drilling since 2023, promising jobs by 2027 but exploiting old oil fields and disaster-hit areas.

Energy projects need land—lots of it. Solar farms require 5-10 acres per megawatt, per the Solar Energy Industries Association. Wind farms and battery storage also demand space, often clashing with agriculture or conservation. Harbinger Land highlights “agrivoltaics,” combining solar with farming, as a solution, but critics argue it still prioritizes energy over local needs. After disasters, when land’s cheap and owners are desperate, energy companies move fast.

[](https://blog.harbingerland.com/energy-land-management-strategies-for-sustainable-resource-utilization/)

Sustainable Land Use: A Preplanned Blueprint?

Disasters seem to pave the way for “sustainable” redevelopment. The UN’s Agenda 21, launched in 1992, mapped out land use for sustainability—urban hubs, restricted wildlands, and biodiversity zones. Its successor, the 30x30 initiative, aims to protect 30% of global land by 2030. These plans, available via UNCCD, align eerily with post-disaster shifts: rural areas abandoned, urban cores densified. After Helene, North Carolina towns faced restricted rebuilding zones, while “smart city” grants flowed—$400 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act fuels such projects nationwide.

In Texas, post-wildfire land often gets rezoned for renewables or conservation, not homes. The SPC Water Resource Center notes municipalities use comprehensive plans to prioritize “green infrastructure” post-disaster, sidelining small-town recovery. Mayors tout funds days after devastation—Asheville’s post-Helene press releases glowed with “resilience” buzzwords while locals begged for basics. Is this opportunism or a decades-old plan unfolding?

[](https://spcwater.org/topics/planning-and-resiliency/sustainable-land-use-planning/)

Weather Modification: A Wild Card?

Could disasters themselves be engineered? Solar radiation modification (SRM)—reflecting sunlight to cool the planet—is real and researched. The White House backed a five-year SRM plan in 2022, per the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program tested cloud brightening in 2024, though public pushback halted it. X users claim SRM triggers storms or wildfires, but NOAA insists no tech can steer hurricanes—Helene and Milton were fueled by natural Gulf warmth, not aerosols.

Still, the overlap is uncanny: climate scientists pushing SRM often back “Great Reset” style policies. If disasters clear land for energy or sustainable plans, could SRM be a tool? No hard evidence says so, but the research exists, and the question lingers.

The Big Picture: Who Benefits?

The pattern—disasters clear land, energy projects and sustainable plans follow—raises red flags. The wealthy thrive, buying up cheap land or jetting freely (FAA data shows private jet use spiked 20% in 2021 during travel bans). Regular folks face restrictions: taxes, zoning, or “15-minute city” policies that feel like control. X posts from Texas and North Carolina scream of betrayal—locals displaced, developers enriched. Yet, no smoking gun proves a grand conspiracy. It could be capitalism seizing chaos: disasters happen, plans wait, money moves.

Still, the speed of post-disaster pivots—mayors with grants ready, energy firms with maps—suggests preparation. Agenda 21’s 1992 vision isn’t far from today’s reality. Dig into your local disaster zone: check land sales, zoning changes, or X for raw voices. The truth might be in the dirt.

What Can You Do?

Track Texas wildfire recovery at tdem.texas.gov. Search land records for energy deals in affected counties. Cross-reference Agenda 21 maps (UN archives) with disaster zones. And keep asking: who’s buying, who’s planning, and why now? The answers might reveal more than any official narrative.