Raging California wildfires give us a taste of climate change

COLORADO – By Brienna Parsons for The Colorado Independent. Wildfires continued to ravage both ends of California Wednesday, claiming at least 50 lives so far, with more than 200 people still missing, while authorities reported the eruption of a new conflagration near San Bernardino.

To the north, Camp Fire has burned close to a quarter of a million acres. Deemed the largest and deadliest wildfire in the state’s history, the catastrophic blaze has taken with it the homes of many recognizable names, including Miley Cyrus, Neil Young, and Gerard Butler. The Woolsey Fire to the south has burned more than 150 square miles, an area larger than Denver.

While wildfires are nothing new for California, there must be a message in the smoke signals. Colorado is no stranger to wildfires, either. Nor are other parts of the country or the globe. With the number of dry regions increasing, global warming doesn’t just threaten — it’s already here.

In an article, “Is Global Warming Fueling Increased Wildfire Risks?” and accompanying infographic, the Union of Concerned Scientists elaborated on this point. Wildfires are increasing in severity and count. The season for these fires in the West is starting earlier and lasting longer.
There is no bright side here. Wildfires aren’t only destructive to land, life, and property, but to the very air we breathe. Controlling and stopping future wildfires is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions increase air pollution and pose risks to those with asthma and allergies.

Concerted effort to affect change is important; direction is critical. Lighting a fire beneath legislators is the first step — a step that should now be easier for Democratic-controlled Colorado.

READ MORE in The Colorado Independent.

Fire, by Andreas Åkre Solberg, Creative Commons, via Flickr