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Blaming climate change for catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires distracts from the apparent failures of policymakers in managing the natural hazards of arid Southern California, writes CO2 Coalition member and fire expert James Steele in a commentary.
“Fabrications linking rising CO2 to wildfires should be ignored. Governments must employ solutions that will truly protect people and their property from the unstoppable, natural conditions enabling devastating fires,” says Steele, former director of San Francisco State University’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus.
The region’s Mediterranean climate features dry summers and a winter “rainy season” that averages only six days of precipitation a month. This year, an abundance of dry brush, grasses and fallen limbs combined with hurricane-force Santa Ana winds emanating from natural cycles of the Pacific Ocean to fuel and spread devastating conflagrations.
While winter rains temporarily make the natural fuels resistant to fire, relative humidity that can dip below 10% transforms vegetation to kindling within a few hours.
Among policy failures that may have contributed to the severity of the fires are the following:
- Failure to manage the accumulation of brush and other fuel
- Failure to provide adequate water supplies for firefighting
- Reductions in firefighting budgets
The entire Steele commentary, “Assigning Responsibility for the Tragic Los Angeles Fires,” can be read by clicking this link.
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