The widespread panic and mass evacuations may be disproportionate to the actual threat, with many areas experiencing waves well below initial forecasts. Hawaii residents expressed desensitization to warnings following the 2018 false missile alert, suggesting alert fatigue could undermine future emergency responses. The economic disruption from shutting down transportation, closing facilities, and evacuating millions may exceed the actual damage from modest tsunami waves.

Climate change can increase tsunami risk in several indirect ways: melting glaciers destabilize slopes, rising seas amplify tsunami impacts, permafrost thaw weakens coastal cliffs, increased rainfall triggers landslides, and warmer oceans may affect the stability of volcanic islands. Although not a direct cause, climate change can heighten the conditions that lead to landslide—triggered tsunamis in vulnerable regions.

While climate change drives many environmental shifts, it does not cause tsunamis. Large undersea earthquakes remain the primary trigger, though volcanic eruptions and landslides can also generate these waves. Tsunamis result from sudden geological disturbances, not atmospheric conditions. Misattributing their cause to climate change detracts from addressing real geological risks.