California governor Gavin Newsom finished his press
conference on massive wildfires, high winds, heatwaves, and other extreme
weather events with strong words about the need to address climate change.
“I have no patience for climate change deniers,” he
said. “That view is completely inconsistent with the reality on the ground, and
hte facts of our experiences. You may not believe it, but our own experiences
tell a different story here in the state of California.”
He said California leads the country in low carbon
growth and that other states should also do their part in preventing climate
change.
Climate crisis plays a significant role
When parts
of California turned into Hell on Earth in 2018, my colleague Oliver Milman
wrote the following and it’s even more relevant today as time ticks closer to
environmental catastrophe for the planet.
Large
wildfires require a cocktail of conditions, such as favourable wind speed and
direction, fuel, terrain and, of course, ignition, which can be as simple as a
trailer throwing up sparks by scraping on a road.
Broadly
speaking, however, climate change is making conditions more favourable for wildfires
in the American west. Of the 20 largest wildfires in California’s recorded
history, 15 have occurred since 2000, at a time when forests have become drier
and warmer.
Since 1970,
temperatures in the west have increased by about double the global average,
lengthening the western wildfire season by several months and drying out large
tracts of forests, making them more fire-prone.
“Climate
change is increasing the vulnerability of many forests to ecosystem changes and
tree mortality through fire, insect infestations, drought and disease
outbreaks,” a major climate assessment by the US government states.
“Given
strong relationships between climate and fire, even when modified by land use
and management such as fuel treatments, projected climate changes suggest that
western forests in the United States will be increasingly affected by large and
intense fires that occur more frequently,” the report adds, noting that fire
suppression techniques have also heightened the risk.
27m ago
20:36
In addition
to providing updates on the wildfires in California, governor Gavin Newsom
shared more details on the massive heat wave that hit the state over the
weekend.
Los Angeles
County saw temperatures of 121 degrees, a record high temperature. Death Valley
was 122 degrees. San Francisco hit 100 degrees on Sunday, breaking a previous
same-day record of 92 degrees set more than 100 years ago in 1904.
These heat
waves are putting pressure on the energy supply. Usually the state averages
38,000 daily megawatts of energy use at its peak, but over the weekend it
reached more than 47,000 megawatts.
“We have
put severe pressure on our grid,” Newsom said.
38m ago
20:26
Newsom said
150 additional people were evacuated this morning from the Creek Fire. There
are ongoing rescue efforts there, after more than 200 people and more than 10
pets were evacuated on Monday night.
The
fast-moving fire encircled popular vacation spots before many could leave,
requiring a number of rescue flights by the National Guard. As of Tuesday
morning, the fire is 0% contained and has engulfed more than 140,000 acres.
48m ago
20:16
California faces 'extraordinary' challenge, governor
says
In a press
conference on Tuesday, California governor Gavin Newsom addressed the historic
wildfire season in the state, sharing updates on size of fires and response to
them.
“The word
historic is a term we use often in the state of California, but these numbers
bear fruit to that assertion this is historic,” Newsom said. “It’s rather
extraordinary, the challenge we have faced this season.”
Newsom said
there have been a record number of fires already in 2020, not even halfway
through the usual fire season. The number of acres burnt in fires this year is
also at a record high, with 1.8m acres burnt since just 15 August - 17 times
the size of Manhattan, New York.
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