31 Dead, 250,000 Evacuated in California Fires as Governor Blames Climate Change
12 November 2018
Climate
Evacuated horses wait on Zuma beach as the Woolsey Fire rages in Malibu on Nov. 9. Scott Varley / Digital First Media / Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images
California suffered a devastating weekend as wildfires raging in both the south and north of the state killed 31 and forced 250,000 to flee their homes, BBC News reported Monday. More than 200 people are still missing.
The Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise Thursday, tied the 1933 Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles for the deadliest fire in California history when the death toll reached 29. It is also the most destructive in terms of the number of structures burned, with a total of more than 6,700 as of Saturday, ABC 7 News reported. So far it has burned more than 109,000 acres and is almost 25 percent contained as of the most recent reporting by BBC News.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b9321" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="M3YPQ61576662899"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1061763927137079296" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">A helicopter gets water from the Feather River to do an airdrop on the #CampFire. The #CampFire has already destroy… https://t.co/7QfvC72zbf</div> — Carolyn Cole (@Carolyn Cole)<a href="https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Cole/statuses/1061763927137079296">1541979221.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>In the south, the Woolsey and Hill fires also continued to rage. The Woolsey fire killed two and damaged homes near the famous Malibu beach. As of Sunday, it had burned 83,000 acres and at least 177 buildings and was 10 percent contained. The Hill Fire nearby had burned 4,530 acres and was 75 percent contained.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="0598f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZA3X3V1576662899"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1061881429808869376" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Stunning timelapse video shows the destructive #WoolseyFire spreading into Malibu, as seen from Venice Beach, about… https://t.co/NS22poanCH</div> — ABC News (@ABC News)<a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/statuses/1061881429808869376">1542007236.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>California Governor Jerry Brown unequivocally blamed <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a> for the devastation.<br></p><p>"This is not the new normal," he said Sunday, as reported by <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article221518685.html" target="_blank">The Sacramento Bee</a>. "This is the new abnormal, and this new abnormal will continue certainly in the next 10 to 15 years."</p><p>The fires were also driven by hot winds from the east that further dried vegetation already parched from unusually low rainfall, as University of Nevada atmospheric scientist Neil Lareau explained in <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-terrifying-science-behind-californias-massive-camp-fire/" target="_blank">Wired</a>. But climate change makes that worse.</p><p>"All of it is embedded in the background trend of things getting warmer," Lareau explained. "The atmosphere as it gets warmer is thirstier."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="a6741" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RGZRIW1576662899"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1061316105308753920" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">If Northern California had received anywhere near the typical amount of autumn precipitation this year (around 4-5… https://t.co/zhvssIrZHd</div> — Daniel Swain (@Daniel Swain)<a href="https://twitter.com/Weather_West/statuses/1061316105308753920">1541872452.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Tellingly, five of the 10 most destructive California fires listed by ABC 7 News occurred in the past two years.<br></p><p>But that wasn't the line taken by President <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a>, who blamed poor forest management, not global warming, for the blazes. In a tweet Saturday, he even threatened to withdraw federal money if the state didn't improve management.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="90824" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="BLA5UO1576662899"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1061168803218948096" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is… https://t.co/k5gzPlaT4E</div> — Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/1061168803218948096">1541837332.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Firefighters instantly pushed back on his rhetoric. </p><p>"The President's message attacking California and threatening to withhold aid to the victims of the cataclysmic fires is ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines," California Professional Firefighters President Brian K. Rice said, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/11/politics/california-wildfires-trump-tweets/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN</a>.<br></p><p>He also said his tweet was plain wrong.</p><p>"Wildfires are sparked and spread not only in forested areas but in populated areas and open fields fueled by parched vegetation, high winds, low humidity and geography," he said.</p><p>Trump modified his tone later Saturday, praising the firefighters for their work and closing with "God Bless them all."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e9f4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3PV0BB1576662899"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1061382890100002817" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">More than 4,000 are fighting the Camp and Woolsey Fires in California that have burned over 170,000 acres. Our hear… https://t.co/bHG71OSXsq</div> — Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/1061382890100002817">1541888375.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>But on Sunday, he tweeted again that the fires would stop with "proper fire management."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="94421" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8LRP1N1576662899"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1061554334276747264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!</div> — Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/1061554334276747264">1541929250.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>In fact, the federal government owns 57 percent of California's forested land, while state agencies only control three percent. The rest is owned by private individuals, families, companies or Native American tribes, according to <a href="https://ucanr.edu/sites/forestry/California_forests/" target="_blank">University of California data</a>.<br></p><p>Brown asked Trump on Sunday to declare the fires a major disaster, a move that would allow more federal resources to flow to California to help with relief and recovery. In his remarks, Brown didn't mention Trump by name, but his emphasis on climate change contained an implicit rebuke.</p><p>"Managing all the forests everywhere we can does not stop climate change, and those who deny that definitely are contributing to the tragedies that we are witnessing and will continue to witness," Brown said, according to The Sacramento Bee.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODgyMjU1Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNDYxODkxMX0.oApn5bD-ZbZLrST-Vmmgha3P9bjdAdEPA5BwxWIhmds/img.jpg?width=980" id="8a15a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b87ef8c90d1656a22aeea01455f880f7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The Camp Fire as seen from space when it broke out on Thursday</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">NASA / <a href="https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/operational-land-imager-oli/" target="_blank">Operational Land Imager</a> on Landsat 8</small></p>
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California's Gov. Jerry Brown speaks at a news conference held at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, Sept. 13. Anda Chu / Digital First Media / The Mercury News / Getty Images
In a rebuke to the Trump administration, California will launch its "own damn satellite" to monitor pollution, Gov. Jerry Brown announced last week on the last day of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.
<p>Brown's announcement caps several days of momentum towards progressing action on climate from the leaders gathered in California. Over the course of the summit, there were more than 500 announcements from thousands of subnational leaders, mobilizing billions of dollars in new commitments to fight climate change. </p><p style="">"It's time to take this momentum back home," Brown said in a later statement at the Summit's close. "Climate change waits for nobody. Let's get to work."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f07bf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="K6YSO41537201014"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1040729207850950656" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We’re launching our own damn satellite! https://t.co/3NQhPKYtmv #GCAS2018 🌎🛰️ https://t.co/I5616pJODy</div> — Jerry Brown (@Jerry Brown)<a href="https://twitter.com/JerryBrownGov/statuses/1040729207850950656">1536964153.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br></p><p>News: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-to-launch-satellite-to-track-air-pollution-1536971962?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=4" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/14/california-jerry-brown-climate-change-satellite-825346" target="_blank">Politico</a>, <a href="http://news.trust.org/item/20180914233623-7s2o0/" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/09/14/647767409/governors-and-mayors-pledge-more-emissions-cuts-to-fight-climate-change" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://qz.com/1390670/the-world-has-decided-bottom-up-is-the-way-its-going-to-stop-climate-change/" target="_blank">Quartz</a>, <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/california-governor-jerry-brown-says-state-will-launch-1829095343" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a>, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Brown-announces-California-plan-to-launch-13230706.php" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle</a>, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-climate-summit-economy-20180914-story.html" target="_blank">LA Times</a>, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jerry-brown-launching-own-damn-climate-change-satellite_us_5b9d8be5e4b04d32ebf923dd" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a>, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/15/california-will-launch-its-own-damn-satellite-as-swipe-at-trump-governor-moonbeam-says.html" target="_blank">Fox News</a></p><p><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=8d2ea3bd0a&e=992ed4d5cc" target="_blank"></a>Commentary: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/15/climate/california-climate-summit.html" target="_blank">New York Times, Brad Plumer analysis</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/09/17/are-states-cities-and-companies-taking-the-lead-on-climate-action/?utm_term=.bcda7dfe1ae3" target="_blank">Washington Post, Joshua Busby and Johannes Urpelainen analysis</a>, <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/406835-global-climate-summit-the-movement-to-save-us-from-ourselves" target="_blank">The Hill, Tracy Stein op-ed</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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A group of mayors with event co-chair and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the Global Climate Action Summit. JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Getty Images
Over the past three days, more than 4,000 people have gathered in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) convened by California Governor Jerry Brown to mobilize regional, local and business leaders around climate change.
Seventeen states and 400 cities, representing together the world's third largest economy, have now joined Brown and summit co-chair and UN special envoy for climate action Michael Bloomberg's "We're Still In" commitment to honor the terms of the Paris agreement despite President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw, and Bloomberg announced at the summit Thursday that the group was making progress, The Nation reported.
<p style="">"Today, we announce that this 'bottom up' movement will put us within striking distance of the US commitment to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris Agreement</a>, even with zero support from our federal government," Bloomberg said, according to The Nation. </p><p style="">That announcement was based on a <a href="https://www.bbhub.io/dotorg/sites/28/2018/09/Fulfilling-Americas-Pledge_Executive-Summary_2018.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> written by researchers at the University of Maryland and the Rocky Mountain Institute that found that business, regional and local efforts have taken the U.S. nearly halfway towards meeting its 2025 Paris goal and will carry it two-thirds of the way by 2025 without federal support, according to a <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/fulfilling-americas-pledge/" target="_blank">GCAS press release</a>. </p><p style="">But that was only one of the many announcements made by cities, states and businesses as they celebrated their progress and reaffirmed their commitment to fighting climate change. </p><p style="">Here is a roundup of some of the highlights. <strong></strong></p><p style=""><strong>1. 27 Cities Have Reached Peak Carbon</strong></p><p style="">Scientists have warned that global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak in 2020 and then rapidly decline in order to avoid catastrophic warming. </p><p style="">Luckily, on Thursday, Paris mayor and chair of the <a href="https://www.c40.org/" target="_blank">C40</a> network of cities committed to climate action Anne Hidalgo announced that 27 major cities, representing 54 million people, had already passed this milestone, according to a <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/27-cities-have-reached-peak/" target="_blank">GCAS press release</a>. </p><p style="">Barcelona, Basel, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Copenhagen, Heidelberg, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Portland, Rome, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, Warsaw and Washington, DC have all seen their emissions fall over the last five years to at least 10 percent below peak levels while their economies have continued to grow. </p><p style="">"It is an incredible achievement for these 27 cities, including Paris, to have peaked their emissions," Hidalgo said. "As the greatest custodians of the Paris Agreement, mayors of the world's great cities have once again shown that cities are getting the job done." </p><p style=""><strong>2. NYC Puts Its Money Where Its Mouth Is</strong></p><p style="">It is not enough for cities to rest on past accomplishments. </p><p style="">New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio followed up an earlier commitment to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-fossil-fuel-divestment-2524494059.html" target="_self">divest</a> the New York pension fund from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> with a new commitment to double the fund's investments in climate change solutions to $4 billion within three years, a <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/mayor-announce-pension-fund/" target="_blank">GCAS press release reported</a>. </p><p style="">Ahead of the summit, de Blasio had joined with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/london-new-york-fossil-fuels-2603700045.html" target="_self">call on</a> other cities to divest from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_blank">fossil fuels</a> and invest in solutions like <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a>. </p><p style="">De Blasio was joined in his announcement by Comptroller Scott Stringer and other fund trustees. </p><p style="">"New York City leads from the front when it comes to the fight against climate change," de Blasio said. "We're taking a stand for generations to come with our goal to double our pension investments in job-creating climate solutions. I know that other cities will look to our example, and I implore them to join us."</p><p style=""><strong>3. West Coast Represents</strong></p><p style=""><a href="http://pacificcoastcollaborative.org/" target="_blank">The Pacific Coast Collaborative</a> (PCC), representing the states of California, Oregon, Washington, the Canadian province of British Columbia and the cities of Los Angeles, Oakland San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, <a href="http://pacificcoastcollaborative.org/expert-availability-west-coast-governors-premier-big-city-mayors-to-announce-climate-commitments-during-global-climate-action-summit/" target="_blank">renewed its commitment</a> to working together against climate change and towards a growing renewable energy economy. </p><p style="">Commitments included reducing carbon emissions, developing a low-carbon, regional transportation system, improving building efficiency and reducing <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-waste" target="_self">food waste</a> 50 percent by 2030. </p><p style="">"The West Coast represents the world's fifth largest economy and we are creating a blueprint for other regions," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said. "We are building a thriving, innovative economy that combats climate change and embraces a zero-emission future. Our efforts aren't just building a clean energy economy, they're also creating great places to live. Our communities are growing healthier and more prosperous, and attractive to new businesses and workers."</p><p style=""><strong>4. EV Innovators Charge Forward</strong></p><p style="">Business leaders made commitments as well, including <a href="https://www.chargepoint.com/" target="_blank">ChargePoint</a>, one of the world's largest networks of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles" target="_self">electric vehicle</a> chargers, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chargepoint-growth/chargepoint-to-grow-global-ev-charging-network-to-2-5-million-idUSKCN1LU0LU" target="_blank">according to Reuters</a>. </p><p>The company announced a pledge to add 2.5 million charging points to its network within the next seven years on Friday, according to a press release emailed to EcoWatch. </p><p style="">The commitment represents a nearly fifty-fold expansion of its charging network, would prevent two million tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere and would help establish infrastructure for a future in which EVs are expected to represent more than 50 percent of new car purchases by 2040.</p><p style="">ChargePoint President and CEO Pasquale Romano said in a press conference that the company had done the math, and the commitment meant the company was "going to grow in line with the adoption rate of EVS."</p><p style="">The commitment actually only covers a "subset" of ChargePoint's business, Romano said.</p><p style="">ChargePoint has developed a business model of going from business to business and installing chargers in company parking lots, and this is the network it is committed to expanding.</p><p style="">Its home and transportation fleet charging efforts are not included and will represent additional greenhouse gas savings.</p><p style="">Romano said that policy decisions by individual governments, such as Trump's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-fuel-efficiency-proposal-2592345279.html" target="_self">reversal</a> of Obama-era fuel efficiency standards, could be "speed bumps" in the growth of EVs, but policies already established in California and the EU, as well as the quality and falling price of EVs, meant that their use would continue to expand.</p><p style="">"In the long term, this is an unstoppable train," he said.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b5f71" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GHQM9L1576662905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1008464316155211777" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Taking Your First Steps Into Local Climate Action https://t.co/OeZptFKOeO @Connect4Climate @MarkRuffalo</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1008464316155211777">1529271603.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Some of the world's most prominent climate leaders will descend this week in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) hosted by California Gov. Jerry Brown.
The Sept. 12 to 14 gathering will feature numerous seminars, notable speakers such as former vice president Al Gore and former secretary of state John Kerry, and will culminate Friday with a call urging international governments to commit greater efforts in averting dangerous global warming under the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
<p style="">Collective action on tackling climate change is more important than ever, especially in light of
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump">President Trump</a>'s intention to withdraw the U.S. from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a> and his continued efforts to push polluting, planet-warming <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>.<br></p><p style="">
"We're running out of time," as Gov. Brown
<a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/about-the-summit/" target="_blank">says</a> on the event website. "There's been some backsliding since Paris, and our summit ... aims to increase the commitments that have already been made in Paris, to make them even greater, and thereby build the momentum going into the conference of the parties at Poland," aka the <a href="http://cop24.gov.pl/" target="_blank">COP24</a> climate talks, this December.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="38e00" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1HNGER1576663357"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1039188942212325376" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">People from all over the world are gathering this week in San Francisco for @GCAS2018. Against the indifference of… https://t.co/6Ikl3M5nvB</div> — Jerry Brown (@Jerry Brown)<a href="https://twitter.com/JerryBrownGov/statuses/1039188942212325376">1536596925.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>In an op-ed this week for the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/We-must-mobilize-climate-action-at-the-local-level-13210402.php" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle</a>, Brown wrote: "We all know that Donald Trump has declared war on every effort to stop global warming and that his congressional acolytes have abetted his insane crusade. Tragically, even the leaders of nations who joined in the 2015 Paris climate accord are also failing to do what it takes to reverse global warming. Greenhouse gas levels are still rising, and they are producing an unsustainable human future." </p><p>Fittingly, the theme of GCAS is to take "Take Ambition to the Next Level."</p><p>"The summit in San Francisco is bringing together grassroots activists, mayors, governors, heads of industry and international leaders for the express purpose of mobilizing climate action at the local level and to demand that their national governments get serious and raise their ambitions," Brown added. </p><p>Once the meeting gets going, we should expect significant climate action announcements from a major food and beverage company, a large utility and a major healthcare company, according to a press release received by EcoWatch.<br></p><p>
Several companies will also make commitments to roll out more zero-emissions vehicles and charging infrastructure, the release said.
</p><p>
Ahead of the gathering, Kaiser Permanente—the nation's largest nonprofit integrated health care system and GCAS sponsor—announced a major renewable power purchase agreement on Monday that will allow the organization to become carbon neutral in 2020.
</p><p>
"Climate change is here. We are seeing the effects of it in devastating wildfires, hurricanes and droughts already impacting people's lives," said chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson in a statement received by EcoWatch. "At Kaiser Permanente we understand that one of the most effective ways to protect the health of the more than 68 million people in the communities we serve is by ensuring healthy environmental conditions. By investing in renewable energy and becoming carbon neutral, Kaiser Permanente is helping to prevent climate-related illness for people worldwide."
</p><p>
<span></span>The gathering will celebrate existing climate commitments and achievements, and will ask the world to step up their efforts in five key challenge areas: <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/healthy-energy-systems/" target="_blank">Healthy Energy Systems</a>; <a href="http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/inclusive-economic-growth/" target="_blank">Inclusive Economic Growth</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/sustainable-communities/" target="_blank">Sustainable Communities</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/land-stewardship/" target="_blank">Land and Ocean Stewardship</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/transformative-climate-investment/" target="_blank">Transformative Climate Investments</a>. <span></span>
</p><p style="">
The
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a>, a leader of the Land and Ocean Stewardship challenge, issued the <a href="http://climatelandchallenge.org/" target="_blank">30X30 Forests, Food and Land Challenge</a> that calls on businesses, governments and citizens to take action for better forest and habitat conservation, food production and consumption and land use.
</p><p>
"To curb climate change, we must address the second-greatest source of emissions: our use of land," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, head of WWF's global climate and energy practice in an online
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/forests-food-and-land-can-deliver-30-of-solutions-needed-to-tackle-climate-crisis-by-2030" target="_blank">press release</a>. "By taking concrete action, businesses and local leaders also can encourage national governments to more aggressively reduce carbon emissions using every resource available, including trees, grasses and soil."
</p><p>
Alongside the summit itself, there will be more than 325
<a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/events-calendar/" target="_blank">affiliate events</a> in San Francisco and elsewhere. Many of these panels, workshops, tours, exhibits and other special events are open for the public or can be attended virtually.
</p><p style="">
Click here for the full <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/program/" target="_blank">GCAS program</a>. Some events will also be live-streamed on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCor3JbUn8yqq5npEsf7Cl1g" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GlobalClimateActionSummit/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gcas2018" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
</p>
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- Will Gov. Brown Plug the Dangerous Hole in California's Climate ... ›
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Wind turbines and solar panels in Palm Springs, California. Getty Images
The California State Assembly on Tuesday voted 43-32 on a bill that aims for 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, one of the nation's toughest clean energy mandates.
Should the bill become law, California has to entirely transition away from fossil fuel electricity in less than three decades. Utilities would also have to get 50 percent of their energy from solar, wind or other specific renewable sources by 2026 and 60 percent by 2030. The legislation requires the state to slowly transition away from natural gas, which is California's top electricity source.
<p>
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-sb-100-renewable-energy-2429029310.html" target="_blank">Senate Bill 100</a>, introduced by Sen. Kevin de León, (D-Los Angeles), was approved in the Senate last year. Both chambers now must agree on amendments, but it is expected to be finalized by Friday before heading to Gov.
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jerry-brown">Jerry Brown</a>'s desk for approval. The Democratic governor is poised to sign it into law, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/business/energy-environment/california-clean-energy.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="c686f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2ZPXQ61576661693"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1034618795694809089" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today #CA took another great stride toward a 100% clean energy future. #SB100 will spur technological innovation, j… https://t.co/UbJ96BzLvx</div> — Kevin de Leόn (@Kevin de Leόn)<a href="https://twitter.com/kdeleon/statuses/1034618795694809089">1535507317.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
"I will always work for the people of California, and the future, [that's] why I authored this bill. And after a grueling year it has finally passed. And our state will remain a
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> leader in the world," de León, who is running for U.S. Senate, <a href="https://twitter.com/kdeleon/status/1034627827910365184" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Tuesday.
</p><p>
The passage comes less than two weeks before the
<a href="https://crm.350.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4627&qid=185430" target="_blank">Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice</a> mobilization in San Francisco on Sept. 8 and the <a href="http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/" target="_blank">Global Climate Action Summit</a> from Sept. 12-14, where Gov. Brown will serve as co-chairman.
</p><p>
The
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hawaii-enacts-nations-first-100-renewable-energy-standard-1882047718.html" target="_blank">first state</a> to adopt such an aggressive clean energy standard was Hawaii in 2015, calling for 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045. </p><p>The Golden State's move is considered groundbreaking because it could inspire other governments and spur Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Washington, DC, to consider similar pending legislation.
</p><p>
If signed, California will represent the largest global economy and one of the biggest states of any kind in the world to have a goal of moving to 100 percent clean energy, the
<a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/08/california-legislature-passes-historic-bill-achieve-100-clean-energy" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> noted.
</p><p>
"This is a pivotal moment for California, for the country, and the world, Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement. "While
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump">Donald Trump</a> abandons reality by ignoring the climate crisis and the incredible growth of clean energy, California is stepping up to lead the transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy."
</p><p>
<span></span>Opponents of the initiative include Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Western States Petroleum Association, Agricultural Council of California and more than two dozen others, <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article217397360.html" target="_blank">The Sacramento Bee</a> reported. Some lawmakers worry the bill could hurt fossil fuel workers and raise utility prices.
</p><p>
"We pass all these goals for renewables, but at the same time our families back home will pay the cost with an increase in the electric bills every year as we try to achieve this," Assemblyman Devon Mathis, R-Visalia, told the publication.
</p><p>
The bill was praised by most Democrats, green organizations and high-profile environmental activists, including Vice President Al Gore, actor and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo.
</p><p>
"With wildfires intensifying and temperatures skyrocketing, the impacts of climate change across the Golden State are impossible to ignore,"
<a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> executive director May Boeve said in a statement. "Just this week, the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-climate-change-2599783083.html">state's own climate assessment</a> revealed that climate change will be deadlier, more destructive, and costlier than previously thought. SB 100 is a critical first step toward addressing the worsening climate crisis, but to truly change course, we must end fossil fuel extraction."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="26086" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DQVFZX1576661693"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="993487352013164546" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">California Set to Require Solar on Most New Homes https://t.co/FZwWM5Ujoj @SEIA @greenpeaceusa @EnvDefenseFund… https://t.co/onyTyCbZ3x</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/993487352013164546">1525700817.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Wildfires, Heat Waves, Sea Level Rise to Be Increasingly Destructive to California, State Climate Change Report Warns
28 August 2018
Climate
The Shasta Dam is one of California's two largest, with a storage capacity of 4.55 million acre feet. The fourth Climate Change Assessment considers climate change impacts to the state's water infrastructure. Apaliwal / CC BY 3.0
Climate change will create a devastating new normal in California of intense heatwaves and destructive fires if nothing is done to curb emissions, a new state report finds.
California's fourth-annual Climate Change Assessment finds that large fires like this summer's record-breaking Mendocino Complex and Carr fires will increase 50 percent by 2100 and burn 77 percent more land under a business-as-usual emissions scenario.
<p>The report also finds 31 to 67 percent of beaches could erode by 2100, deaths from heat waves in cities could double or triple by 2050, and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/water">water</a> supply from snowpack could decline by two-thirds by 2050. </p><p>As reported by the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-state-climate-change-assessment-20180827-story.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times</a>:</p><blockquote>"This year has been kind of a harbinger of potential problems to come," said Daniel Cayan, a climate researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and one of the scientists coordinating the report. "The number of extremes that we've seen is consistent with what model projections are pointing to, and they're giving us an example of what we need to prepare for."</blockquote><blockquote>State leaders vowed to act on the research, even as the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> administration moves to unravel climate change regulations and allow more pollution from cars, trucks and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal">coal</a>-fired power plants.</blockquote><p><span></span>"In California, facts and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/science/">science</a> still matter," Gov. Jerry Brown said in a statement. "These findings are profoundly serious and will continue to guide us as we confront the apocalyptic threat of irreversible climate change."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="0dba2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="TEVIX41576662908"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1029502991739637766" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Ryan Zinke: #ClimateChange Has 'Nothing to Do' With California #Wildfires https://t.co/SFGJCBuMD0 @wildfiretoday @foe_us @greenpeaceusa</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1029502991739637766">1534287615.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-state-climate-change-assessment-20180827-story.html" target="_blank">LA Times</a>, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Climate-change-report-California-to-see-77-13185429.php" target="_blank">SF Chronicle</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/27/california-climate-change-report-wildfires-jerry-brown" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27082018/california-climate-change-assessment-evidence-global-warming-science-risks-policy-clean-energy" target="_blank">InsideClimate News</a>, <a href="http://fortune.com/2018/08/27/california-fires-climate-change-report/" target="_blank">Fortune</a></p><p> <em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor Jerry Brown at the United Nations Paris agreement signing ceremony dinner. Mike Bloomberg / Flickr
By Andy Rowell
Two leading political figures from the U.S. and Canada, who have boasted about the need to fight climate change, are now under fire for being climate change hypocrites: saying they care about the climate, but allowing drilling and fossil fuel infrastructure to be built anyway.
On Wednesday, more than 750 public interest groups from California and around the world, including Oil Change International, started a campaign urging the governor of California, Jerry Brown, to stop building fossil fuel infrastructure, including no new exploration permits offshore.
<p>The letter told Brown to "take immediate action to protect those most vulnerable to climate change or lose their support for the global climate action summit that he will host five months from now in San Francisco."</p><p>The campaign has sponsored billboards in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, placed adverts in local newspapers, and launched a thermal airship over San Francisco Bay to challenge Brown for falling short on plans to limit fossil fuels in the state.</p><p>The letter <a href="http://brownslastchance.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DearGovernorBrown.pdf" target="_blank">urged Brown,</a> who has stated on numerous times that time is running out to solve climate change and who has stated that fighting the issue will be one of his <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/End-oil-drilling-permits-in-California-groups-12826051.php" target="_blank">signature acts</a>, to "champion a vision for California that looks beyond the oil and gas industry to a future that is safe and healthy for everyone," the letter says.</p><p>It continues by urging Brown to "set a global precedent by becoming the first oil producing state to announce a phase-out of existing production in line with the Paris climate goals, with a just and equitable transition that protects workers, communities, and economies, starting in places that are suffering most from the impacts of fossil fuel extraction."</p><p>But Brown is not the only politician who has promoted their green credentials who is now under fire for failing to adequately act on climate.</p><p>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is due to fly back from an overseas trip over the weekend to convene a meeting concerning the controversial Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline that will triple production of dirty <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tar-sands">tar sands</a> going from Alberta to British Columbia.</p><p>The pipeline has been subject to sustained protests and legal action by the local community and BC government, led by John Horgan. Earlier this week, Kinder Morgan announced that it was stopping work until the end of May until political and legal opposition is sorted. Many people now see the pipeline as being on "<a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/04/10/controversial-kinder-morgan-pipeline-now-on-life-support/" target="_blank">life support</a>."</p><p>Even the <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/business/21740453-it-latest-string-pipeline-flops-could-deter-foreign-investors-kinder-morgans" target="_blank">Economist</a> argues that the pipeline is now likely to become "another flop," and noted that last week David McKay, head of RBC, Canada's largest bank, was concerned that investment was flowing out of the Canadian energy sector "in real time."</p><p>Trudeau continues to support the pipeline. Yesterday he tweeted that "I wouldn't approve major pipeline projects if I wasn't confident they could be done safely. And they can be done safely because we've made a massive investment in protecting our oceans and coastlines—in BC and across the country."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="63c49" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KQC2481576662933"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="984403586376335360" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I wouldn’t approve major pipeline projects if I wasn’t confident they could be done safely. And they can be done sa… https://t.co/sIOijV30PJ</div> — Justin Trudeau (@Justin Trudeau)<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/statuses/984403586376335360">1523535078.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p>The tweet was accompanied by a glossy video, which was posted on Twitter and<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JustinPJTrudeau/videos/10156634611860649/?hc_ref=ARTLuZNXWLvfVdladL4dZvoOcdG4DMAW-5B9N_yve99FOmGaKWL3K5eSKp9xc4tlzsw&fref=nf" target="_blank"> Facebook</a>.</p><p>The reason for the meeting over the weekend, according to press reports, is that Trudeau wants to strong-arm BC Premier "<a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/04/12/news/trudeau-summons-notley-horgan-ottawa-over-kinder-morgan-quebec-groups-enter-debate" target="_blank">John Horgan</a> to reverse his stance." Horgan responded that he was going to "represent BC, our coast and economy."</p><p>Yesterday, <a href="https://dbqvwi2zcv14h.cloudfront.net/images/Re__Letter_urging_the_federal_government_to_stop_supporting_the_Kinder_Morgan_Trans_Mountain_expansion_pipeline_project_-_April_12th_2018.pdf" target="_blank">40 civil society group</a>s sent a letter to Trudeau on behalf of their Quebec members, urging the federal government to "immediately cease supporting Kinder Morgan's pipeline. Do not turn this pipeline into your political legacy."</p><p>The letter continues: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We remind you in particular of your government's commitment to end fossil fuel subsidies. The Trudeau government, in supporting a 20th-century sector of the economy, is failing to live up to its responsibility.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">The national interest of Canada does not rest in the construction of The Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, but in the inevitable energy transition that is so urgently needed in order to counter climate change.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">The support that you continue to provide to the pipeline project casts a serious cloud on your credibility as a leader in the fight against climate change.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">We repeat: Do not turn this pipeline into your political legacy."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="61929" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="N3YVEG1576662934"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="971457520601616384" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Bill Nye Confronts Justin Trudeau Over Kinder Morgan Pipeline https://t.co/EwCzoBV48n @NRDC @YEARSofLIVING… https://t.co/olSrnqvMu3</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/971457520601616384">1520448496.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/04/13/brown-trudeau-in-last-chance-saloon-over-climate-legacy/" target="_blank">Oil Change International</a>.</em></p>
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This was a year of tug-of-war for the environment. With Donald Trump becoming president of the U.S. at a time when wildfires, hurricanes, and floods were devastating the country, it was challenging for scientists, activists and concerned citizens to get their voices heard. But several stood out as global leaders on climate and helped give rise to those who were silenced. Below are 14 of the most notable influencers of 2017 and how they fought for a cleaner, safer environment for all.
<p>
1. Emmanuel Macron
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDIxNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTA4NDAwOX0.ZUpgdaaSQJIDNGMTP2kqEiS98uLQCil6aGXqM5dXJiU/img.jpg?width=980" id="ed414" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="68291954c5d4c5102a1ac3f8082ca22f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>
After his inauguration as president of France, just a few months after U.S. President Donald Trump, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/emmanuel-macron" target="_self">Emmanuel Macron</a> made immediate waves. He started off by addressing Trump's withdrawal from the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a> with a "<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/macron-climate-scientists-france-2440280116.html" target="_self">Make Earth Great Again</a>" slogan and welcoming American climate scientists to France to continue their research. He forged on, offering <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/france-climate-awards-2516598161.html" target="_self">multi-year grants</a> totaling $70 million. Macron also hosted the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coal-companies-one-planet-summit-2517129095.html" target="_self">One Planet Summit</a> where 20 international companies announced they would phase out <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal">coal</a>. With his continued criticism of Trump's decisions regarding the planet, Macron has proven himself a global leader on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate change</a> and has set the stage for progress in 2018.</p><p>2. Elon Musk</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDQ2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MjI1MjkyMH0.n2u25YHbM5PFoHZNO7YRvqvRPeWMDF5Yb3U5mqV2v9g/img.jpg?width=980" id="6de02" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="da4b4658cb0745b94c0c0bf476a92f8d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/elon-musk" target="_self">Elon Musk</a>, entrepreneur and founder of several companies including SpaceX, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tesla" target="_self">Tesla</a> and SolarCity, began 2017 with a seat on President Trump's economic advisory council. Musk made multiple attempts to reverse Trump's stance on climate change, but after Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement, Musk left the council on June 1, causing a huge media storm. Then in October, when <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-maria">Hurricane Maria</a> devastated Puerto Rico and left the islands without power, Musk swooped in and began building a <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> grid. He started with restoring a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tesla-puerto-rico-solar-2501230169.html" target="_self">children's hospital</a> in San Juan and has continued delivering and installing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tesla-puerto-rico-solar-battery-2515317653.html" target="_self">Tesla battery systems</a> since. Musk has also made huge strides in green technology with his push for electric vehicles and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> in the U.S., despite the Trump administration's favoritism towards the fossil fuel industry.<br></p><p>3. Angela Merkel</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDI5NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjY1MDI0NH0.PE9gIUFpZCA2HxLlWdXP1k866n-_j1Ut1eXHq0l7EHY/img.jpg?width=980" id="1802a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1b30cc264e13f836290059200cfe3dfb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stepped up to the plate as one of 2017's female leaders on climate in a multitude of ways. Nicknamed the "Climate Chancellor," Merkel has outwardly expressed her differences with Trump, calling his stance on climate change "regrettable." She<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-putin-2454918187.html" target="_self"> reassured the UN</a> that Germany would uphold its targets for the Paris agreement, despite the U.S. change of heart. She has also made significant progress in ensuring sustainable growth in Germany with the G20 Hamburg Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth. Then, in November at the<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/cop23" target="_self"> COP23</a> in Bonn, Germany, Merkel sent a strong message to all global leaders, saying "we will not be able to adhere to the 2°C or 1.5°C target with the current national commitments. That is why each and every contribution is incredibly important."</p><p>4. Bernie Sanders</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDI1MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzkzMDIzM30.B2vXZyPL2FsKW89ez-TkePXESFb_Hjb54kXy8_pQ27g/img.png?width=980" id="ecfd1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2e3e21ed81f4fb1a699ea84838ed808a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>
Senator <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bernie-sanders" target="_self">Bernie Sanders</a> didn't let his loss in the 2016 presidential race stop him from speaking out on climate. In 2017, Sanders relentlessly criticized Trump's rejection of the Paris agreement and his outright denial of climate <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/science/">science</a>. He is one of the few politicians who has spoke out about the<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sanders-energy-bill-2464667836.html" target="_self"> Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017</a>, which aims to expand the fossil fuel industry. He also introduced a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/transformation-blueprint-puerto-rico-2513303662.html" target="_self">$146 billion recovery package</a> for Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria hit and Trump neglected to provide relief. The package would rebuild Puerto Rico's infrastructure with sustainable resources. He also helped to introduce the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/clean-energy-bill-merkley-sanders-markey-2381516585.html" target="_self">100 by 50 Act</a>, which would support workers in the fossil fuel industry while simultaneously phasing out fossil fuels by 2050. </p><p>5. Pope Francis</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDI1NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDQ3MDgwMH0.6aXIpGTje_WM9IILSJNVQU0oaCh6JlXx4AatYpTtVRM/img.jpg?width=980" id="33fc4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0c91f6f4182382ca11da966add91d30e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>
Pope Francis has openly condemned <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier" target="_self">climate change deniers</a> for years, but 2017 might have been the most radical year yet for the sovereign. In February, the Pope spoke up for<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-frances-dapl-2265564461.html" target="_self"> indigenous peoples</a> and their right to consent when it comes to government activities on their sacred lands. The strong words came shortly after President Trump signed two executive orders calling for the approval of the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines in January, though the Vatican said the timing was coincidental. On <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-francis-climate-change-hunger-2497286479.html" target="_self">World Food Day</a> in October, the Pope urged governments to mitigate climate change, as it is a lead driver of the increase in world hunger. And in November at COP23, he outlined four "<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-francis-cop23-2510283678.html" target="_self">perverse attitudes</a>" that are preventing climate action. To top it off, he also acquired an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-francis-nissan-leaf-2294820792.html" target="_self">electric car</a>.</p><p>6. Michelle Rodriguez</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDI1Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTQyNzQ3MX0.0_BuMsiiUgIv1eGxC5ACSPvHKOM-vt-SPuW8BuSeWKA/img.jpg?width=980" id="b040c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0824cb85cc66bfa0409924c8e930ab05" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Actress and climate activist Michelle Rodriguez is one of the newer voices of the climate movement. In March, Rodriguez joined an all-woman survey team known as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/michelle-rodriguez-baby-seals-2336771103.html" target="_self">Operation Ice Watch</a> on an expedition to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada where the seal population is under siege by hunting and ice loss caused by climate change. Led by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/community/seashepherdconservationsociety/">Sea Shepherd Conservation Society</a> and <a href="https://www.animaljustice.ca/" target="_blank">Animal Justice</a>, the crew surveyed the ice, or lack thereof, while filming a documentary to raise awareness about the "ecological catastrophe." Rodriguez also partnered with <a href="https://my.seashepherd.org/OperationTSP" target="_blank">Operation Taino Spirit Promise</a> and <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/" target="_blank">Sea Shepherd</a> to provide relief to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria struck and start a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/puerto-rico-sustainability-2515065901.html" target="_self">campaign</a> for a sustainable rebuild.</p><p><span></span>7. Michael Bloomberg<br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDI5MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDI3NTgzNX0.LU8u8DBtXeVCJoMgXZm998Ny5gCZkjxbj3ujTB5sVLU/img.jpg?width=980" id="9e2e5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e9817bbcef0a909ddd85207f1e23dca5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was also a notable influencer of 2017, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cop-23-same-canoe-2509377631.html" target="_self">representing the U.S. at COP23</a> where he, alongside Governors Jerry Brown of California and Jay Inslee of Washington introduced the <a href="https://www.wearestillin.com/about" target="_blank">We Are Still In</a> coalition, a network of U.S. politicians who support climate action despite Trump's withdrawal from the Paris agreement. In October, Bloomberg also announced that his charity would donate $64 million to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/bloomberg-coal-sierra-club-2495882707.html" target="_self">retirement of U.S. coal plants</a>, greatly impeding Trump's efforts to revive the American <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal industry</a>.</p><p><span></span>8. Patricia Espinosa<br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDMwMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTA3NTk4OX0.bkqVMS5Yr4gSUrPww9GAQNONoSBakNB1oMOuyxeLOmA/img.jpg?width=980" id="b414f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3c19872c44cab799126158e2706068f4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Mexican politician and current executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Patricia Espinosa made significant progress on shifting the dialogue surrounding climate action in 2017. In<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/shell-climate-video-2290679999.html" target="_self"> February</a>, she said getting fossil fuel companies "on board" is a critical factor in combating climate change. She also used her position to direct the climate conversation away from technology and toward security, arguing that security officials "understand that our current crisis pales in comparison to what is coming if climate change is left unchecked." She also spoke about women's involvement at COP23 and introduced the Gender Action Plan to promote meaningful participation by women in the climate movement.<br></p><p>9. Al Gore<br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDMwNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODQ3NzI5MH0.-_PWKiRPPIaFKJbMvBGdgclg2RQeIREPInQ-i1FkdAY/img.jpg?width=980" id="19e77" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="279647b1b892d7b8b584a94c3436e243" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Former vice president and environment activist <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/community/al_gore/" target="_self">Al Gore</a> is known for his stance on climate change. But in 2017, with the release of his newest documentary "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," Gore found another big spotlight. In July, he boldly <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/al-gore-paris-agreement-2456658881.html" target="_self">predicted</a> that the U.S. would still meet the targets of the Paris agreement, despite Trump's about-face in June. On Dec. 4-5, Gore also hosted the Climate Reality Project's "<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/24-hours-reality-matters-2515687039.html" target="_self">24 Hours of Reality</a>," where he highlighted citizens taking action all across the globe to inspire others to do the same. The program reached more than half a billion viewers on TV and 32 million online, making it the world's largest social broadcast on climate to date.<br></p><p>10. Jerry Brown</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDM2MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzYwOTk0M30.87-_ssW-F7pvXp3mJ5S6xwicmnK4l0AVkM3vEoG3s4Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="d72d9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6eaee9c3dc801c069873f10188e59ce0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>At almost every turn for the past 365 days, California Governor <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jerry-brown" target="_self">Jerry Brown</a> has undermined President Trump. In June, almost immediately after Trump's withdrawal from the Paris agreement, Brown partnered with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/brown-china-climate-deal-2435721752.html" target="_self">Chinese President Xi Jinping</a> to continue expanding green technology and trade. In July, Brown extended California's climate legislation to reduce <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenhouse-gases" target="_self">greenhouse gas emissions</a>, to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. And as wildfires have raged through the state and region, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-brown-trump-climate-2500805926.html" target="_self">Brown said</a> he was "linking with other similar-minded people all over the world" and "pushing forward even as Trump blusters."<br></p><p>11. Noam Chomsky</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDM2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDIwMTc4NH0.LMilPhdJDomKAiRwjnRFyIIK_zz9YIAonE_yz89-XzQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="bced1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3a11feaac20617ac2fab9fb0198a8601" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Well known linguist and scientist <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/noam-chomsky-trump-2454319460.html" target="_self">Noam Chomsky</a> spoke out numerous times in 2017 for the sake of the environment. In an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/chomsky-trump-undermine-survival-2333432702.html" target="_self">interview with Truthout</a> in March, Chomsky called out the Trump administration for cutting federal spending to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa">U.S Environmental Protection Agency</a> and the Department of Energy, stating that his actions are an "attack against future generations." In May he spoke out again, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/noam-chomsky-gop-trump-climate-2404621379.html" target="_self">telling BBC Newsnight</a> that the Republican Party's denial of climate change has made them the most dangerous organization "in human history." Chomsky's criticisms opened up an intellectual dialogue for conservative voters and encouraged the scientific community to weigh in.<br></p><p>12. Leonardo DiCaprio</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDM2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDU4Njk1Mn0.ADWC2PMXfzDplWntUXi3UeVnhKakVSiqs2xzmNYmrvM/img.jpg?width=980" id="5abfb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09368c6b5c1100b70aff5033ef346aef" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Actor and philanthropist <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/leonardo-dicaprio" target="_self">Leonardo DiCaprio</a> made impressive strides on climate action in 2017, including investing in the entirely plant-based food company <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/dicaprio-beyond-meat-2498081823.html" target="_self">Beyond Meat</a> and a farm-raised seafood company <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/leonardo-dicaprio-lovethewild-2307586570.html" target="_self">LoveTheWild</a>. In June, DiCaprio also partnered with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to conserve the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/dicaprio-vaquita-oceans-day-2436761026.html" target="_self">Gulf of California</a> for the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vaquita">vaquita</a> porpoise, classified as the most endangered marine mammal in the world. Most recently, at the Yale Climate Change Conference in September, DiCaprio announced that his foundation will be awarding <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/leonardo-dicaprio-foundation-awards-2487597805.html" target="_self">$20 million in grants</a> to more than 100 environmental organizations.<br></p><p>13. Stephen Hawking</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDM2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzAyOTQxNX0.aosjX4rOT_uI7Q-xIus9bFDSQmYKf-G9sSHqDU-nT5U/img.jpg?width=980" id="3c8b8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="605025c746efa309e1b769c6798498b0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>World-renowned theoretical physicist <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/stephen-hawking" target="_self">Stephen Hawking</a> represented the majority of the scientific community in 2017 on several occasions, urging Trump to stop denying evidence of climate change. In June, Hawking had a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/stephen-hawking-trump-2452539680.html" target="_self">few choice words </a>about the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris agreement, warning that "we are close to the tipping point where <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">global warming</a> becomes irreversible." And in November, Hawking once again pushed Trump to stop <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hawking-trump-science-2513514825.html" target="_self">denying climate change</a> and take action. Hawking nearly gave up on Earth altogether, telling WIRED UK that "our Earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing."<br></p><p>14. David Attenborough</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjk2NDM2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzM1MDQ3MX0.0DolTBfyoHa8qhomzmTMRWVUfesEksDnYN3v3M6zSKU/img.jpg?width=980" id="54dd2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6c0c54783d6958260742f4220e705134" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>English documentary filmmaker and naturalist David Attenborough, whose series <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/david-attenborough-blue-planet-ii-2490636664.html">Blue Planet II</a> began in October, spoke out several times on plastic pollution in 2017. In September, Attenborough told <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/community/greenpeace/" target="_self">Greenpeace</a> of the "heartbreaking" footage he recorded of mother birds feeding their babies plastic, an iconic moment for him that pushed him to speak up about <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastic pollution</a> in oceans., and tell Trump to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/david-attenborough-plastics-2514828090.html">reconsider his withdrawal</a> from the Paris agreement. He emphasized that "never before have we been so aware of what we are doing to our planet—and never before have we had such power to do something about it."<br></p>
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Trending
As California Burns, State Pushes Back on Trump's Anti-Climate Policies in Court
24 October 2017
Climate
CAL FIRE's Chief Scott Brown speaks with California Gov. Jerry Brown as they survey the damage caused by the wildfires in Santa Rosa, California, on Oct. 14, 2017. Army National Guard photos by Capt. Will Martin
Amid record wildfires devastating the north and an unusual October heatwave scorching the south, conditions in California right now are a perfect snapshot of our ever-warming world.
As California Gov. Jerry Brown said an interview with BBC's Today program on Tuesday, "Climate change is occurring, global warming is occurring, California is beginning to burn up."
<p style="">
But for
<a href="http://ecowatch.com/trump-watch">President Trump</a> and his administration, climate change is fact being inconveniently ignored. That's why, Brown says, states are fighting back.
</p><p>
<span></span>When asked during his interview what California can do about Trump's intention to withdraw the U.S. from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_blank">Paris climate agreement</a>, Gov. Brown offered three tactics.
</p><p>
"First of all, we can go to court and block his efforts, and we are doing that—just like the Republicans tried to block Obama's efforts," he said about the coalition of GOP-led states that sued to overturn the Obama-era
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/clean-power-plan">Clean Power Plan</a> (CPP).
</p><p style="">
<a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/10/24/jerry-brown-california-will-sue-trump-climate/" target="_blank">Climate Change News</a> noted that New York's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/10/trump-climate-change-clean-power-plan-fightback" target="_blank">reportedly</a> preparing a lawsuit to protect the CPP and California AG Xavier Becerra has already filed several lawsuits against the U.S. government this year over a slew of issues, <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/352895-calif-attorney-general-trump-backs-down-on-greenhouse-gas" target="_blank">including the environment</a>, and vows to do "everything in my power to defend the Clean Power Plan."
</p><p>
Secondly, Brown is placing hopes that voters will push out climate-adverse lawmakers in Washington at the 2018 election.
</p><p>
"Hopefully we'll have one or two of the houses go from Republican to Democrat," he said.
</p><p>
Finally, he pointed out that California is part of the
<a href="http://under2mou.org/" target="_blank">Under2 Coalition</a> of states, nations and cities committed to slashing carbon emissions. The Under2 regions represent 1.2 billion people and 39 percent of the global economy.
</p><p style="">
"We are taking action in California. We are linking with other similar-minded people all over the world and we are pushing forward even as Trump blusters. He cannot command the tides to not come in," Brown said.
</p><p>
The Golden State has recently emerged as one of the nation's top environmental defenders. Brown has previously said that California will live up to the goals set by the Paris accord.
</p><p>
Also during the BBC interview, Brown was asked whether he thinks Trump really believes global warming is "a hoax."
</p><p>
"No, I don't believe that," the governor replied. "But he, like politicians, work their constituency. And I think he sees this as a galvanizing rhetoric for his base."
</p><p style="">
Click
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b099v2v4#play" target="_blank">here</a> to listen to the governor's full interview, which starts around the 2:21:05 mark.
</p>
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With aid from easing winds, the 11,000 firefighters beating back the Northern California wildfires are making "good progress," as the number of major blazes dropped to 15, the state's fire agency Cal Fire announced Sunday.
But as Cal Fire noted‚ "Sadly, the death toll has risen to 40 people."
<p>
<span></span>An estimated 217,566 acres have burned and 5,700 structures have been destroyed. Nearly 75,000 people remain evacuated.
</p><p>
<span></span>The wine country blazes are officially the deadliest in state history.
</p><p>
"This is truly one of the greatest, if not the greatest tragedy that California has ever faced," California Gov.
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jerry-brown" target="_blank">Jerry Brown</a> said Saturday. "The devastation is just unbelievable, it's a horror that no one could have imagined."
</p><p>
President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> approved a federal disaster declaration last week after Gov. Brown's request for federal assistance.
</p><p>
The infernos continue to burn, but "we will continue to aggressively attack and keep (the fire) contained," Napa County Fire Chief Barry Biermann said during a Sunday <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/15/us/california-fires-updates-recovery/index.html" target="_blank">press conference</a>.
</p><p>
"We are making a tremendous progress out there," he noted.
</p><p>
"Things feel good in our gut as firefighters," said Bret Gouvea, deputy chief of Cal Fire, adding that authorities remain cautious.
</p><p>
<span></span>The wine country fires started Sunday and rapidly spread throughout the week due to the area's low humidity and "<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-fire-diablo-winds-20171009-story.html" target="_blank">Diablo winds</a>," with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. Scientists have suggested <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_blank">climate change</a> might <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-wildfires-air-2495879541.html" target="_blank">play a role.</a>
</p><p>
Cal Fire said Sunday winds across Northern California have been fairly light in morning and the earlier Red Flag Warnings for the area will be lifted at 8 a.m. Many evacuation orders have also been lifted.
</p><p>
Red Flag Warnings are the highest alert issued by the National Weather Service, in which conditions are ideal for wildland fire combustion and rapid spread.
</p><p>
However, Red Flag Warnings remain in effect in Southern California due to gusty winds throughout the day, low humidity and high fire danger.
<span></span>
</p><p>
<span></span>California's fires have released enough <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_blank">air pollution</a> to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/10/11/air-pollution-california-fires-equals-years-worth-traffic-analyst-says/756602001/" target="_blank">equal a year's worth of traffic</a>, Sean Raffuse, an air-quality analyst at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at University of California in Davis, said. Raffuse estimates the fires have produced about 10,000 tons of fine particulate matter, about the same amount generated by the state's 35 million vehicles.
</p><p>
"We are reporting the worst air quality ever recorded for smoke in many parts of the Bay Area," Tom Flannigan, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District,
<a href="http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/10/10/wildfires-have-created-worst-air-quality-ever-recorded-for-smoke-in-bay-area/" target="_blank">told the East Bay Times</a>. "This is similar to what you see in Beijing, China in bad air days there.
</p>
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The California Highway Patrol (CHP) Golden Gate Division Air Operations helicopter crews have rescued 42 people from wildfires since Sunday. CHP
California is on fire. Multiple major fires broke out in many parts of the state, burning more than 100,000 acres.
More than a dozen wildfires ravaged across Northern California as of Tuesday morning. At least 11 people have died, 100 have been injured, tens of thousands evacuated, and more than 1,500 homes and businesses were destroyed. In Sonoma County, fire officials fielded 100 phone calls about missing persons.
<p>
<a href="http://350.org" target="_blank">350.org</a> founder Bill McKibben tweeted that the Napa firestorm left the city looking like it had been bombed.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b7ba8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CQST0L1576662947"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="917573619726905344" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The pictures from the Napa wildfire look like a city after a bombing. Some ways to help: https://t.co/YXP5NlNDDL https://t.co/fq8imZ4R26</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/917573619726905344">1507601573.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The wine country blazes started on Sunday and are among the most devastating in
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-napa-fires-20171009-story.html" target="_blank">state history</a>, according to media reports.
</p><p style="">
"We often have multiple fires going on, but the majority of them all started right around same time period, same time of night—it's unprecedented," Amy Head, the fire captain spokesperson for Cal Fire, told the
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/09/california-wildfires-wine-country-blaze" target="_blank">Guardian</a>. "I hate using that word because it's been overused a lot lately because of how fires have been in the past few years, but it truly is—there's just been a lot of destruction."
</p><p>
Head added that the fires were probably linked to a
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">warming climate</a>: "It has been hotter, it has been drier, our fire seasons have been longer, fires are burning more intensely, which is a direct correlation to the climate changing."
</p><p>
<strong>2017 Statewide Fire Map</strong>
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image">
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1TOEFA857tOVxtewW1DH6neG1Sm0&hl=en&ll=37.28557739837558,-119.39475185546877&z=5"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGbWFwcyUyRmQlMkZ0aHVtYm5haWwlM0ZtaWQlM0QxVE9FRkE4NTd0T1Z4dGV3VzFESDZuZUcxU20wJTI2aGwlM0RlbiZhbXA7aG89aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSZhbXA7cz0xMDAmYW1wO2g9MjY0MWYzOGJjZGIwNmJmMjFlMmM3NDFkOTRjMmM3OGRiMzUxZWMwZGI4MDlkNTU4M2EwMWFkODE3OTFjZTA3YiZhbXA7c2l6ZT05ODB4JmFtcDtjPTM2NjYyODU2NDYiLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjMxNDk1MTk2fQ.8DvPhht3DMbUXTNX1_XWt_m1b-yxWj31LOXCLy1ohQ0/img.jpg" id="c11de" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="044ca531c65a71c90ff58b8a7206cdcf"></a>
</p><p>
The flames spread quickly due to powerful winds and high temperatures.
</p><p>
"We also had really gusty winds and really warm temperatures," National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Mehle told the Los Angeles Times. "This time of year it does happen quite a bit. For the San Francisco Bay Area, our summer is late September to early October; that's when we have our warmest and driest conditions."
</p><p>
<span></span>In Southern California, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-anaheim-hills-fire-20171009-story.html" target="_blank">more than 5,000 homes</a> were evacuated because of a Monday brushfire in the Anaheim Hills area in Orange County. The inferno, dubbed Canyon Fire 2, has destroyed 24 structures and burned at least 6,000 acres.
</p><p>
Smoke from the fire inundated the skies above nearby theme park Disneyland.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b7e84" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="MD2DPW1576662947"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="917488513255219200" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">My sister is in Disneyland and just sent me these pictures from the fire. Is the world ending or something? Cause t… https://t.co/04TlqeFwSG</div> — David (@David)<a href="https://twitter.com/iheartnate/statuses/917488513255219200">1507581282.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
California Gov.
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jerry-brown">Jerry Brown</a> declared a state of emergency for Orange County Monday afternoon after issuing emergency declarations for the affected areas in the northern part of the state earlier that day.
</p><p>
The governor's Office of Emergency Services
<a href="https://twitter.com/Cal_OES/status/917463279257116672" target="_blank">tweeted</a> that the state is "fully engaged in response efforts for NorCal fires" and "all hands on deck."
</p><p>
The Governor also requested a
<a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/docs/10.9.17_Presidential_Major_Disaster_Declaration_Request.pdf" target="_blank">Presidential Major Disaster Declaration</a> to support the state and local response to fires burning in Northern California.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="81b09" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZBCLTZ1576662947"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="917536046446927872" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">➡️@JerryBrownGov declares emergency in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nev. & Orange counties, requests Major Disaster Decl… https://t.co/uNMm0cs2YA</div> — Governor Newsom Press Office (@Governor Newsom Press Office)<a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/statuses/917536046446927872">1507592615.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The Governor also requested a
<a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/docs/10.9.17_Presidential_Major_Disaster_Declaration_Request.pdf" target="_blank">Presidential Major Disaster Declaration</a> to support the state and local response to fires burning in Northern California,
</p>
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iStock
After China announced plans to ban new diesel and gasoline-powered cars, California Gov. Jerry Brown is said to be considering the same option, according to Bloomberg.
"I've gotten messages from the governor asking, 'Why haven't we done something already?'" Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, told the publication. "The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California."
<p>
Besides China, Britain, France, Norway and India have announced similar intentions to phase out conventional gas guzzlers to cut <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_blank">fossil fuel</a> emissions and promote <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles" target="_blank">electric vehicles</a>.
</p><p>
Under Brown's watch, the Golden State has become an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/jerry-brown-climate-bill-2461399772.html">environmental powerhouse</a> and it's no surprise that he would be consider such an idea. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/brown-china-climate-deal-2435721752.html" target="_blank">In June</a>, Brown signed a nonbinding agreement with China to cooperate on <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_blank">renewable energy</a> technology, including zero-emissions vehicles and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Brown and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed "the importance of expanding cooperation of green technology, innovation and trade," according to the governor's office.
</p><p>
The governor has also been outspoken against President Trump's inaction on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> and his controversial decision to pull the U.S. out of the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_blank">Paris agreement</a>.
</p><p>
It's unclear if the ban is serious. However, as Gina Coplon-Newfield, who heads the <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a>'s clean transportation unit, told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/us/california-today-talk-of-a-ban-on-non-electric-cars.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, "It's an important conversation to have and we're glad it's starting to get some traction."
</p><p>
As the Times noted, while California happens to be the nation's top EV-adopter, sales in the state counts for less than 5 percent of the total.
</p><p style="">
<span></span>Still, EV registration in the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years, from 17,425 registrations in 2011 to 209,726 this year already, according to a recent <a href="https://www.moneybarn.com/emission-impossible/" target="_blank">analysis</a> from motor financing company Moneybarn.
</p><p style="">Additionally, zero-emission vehicles are expected to be <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/electric-vehicles-cost-2490184925.html">cheaper</a> than conventional cars due to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/bloomberg-the-electric-car-revolution-is-here-to-stay-1882188168.html" target="_blank">falling battery prices</a> as well as the costs that traditional carmakers will incur as they comply with new fuel-efficiency standards.
</p><p>
<span></span>"Falling battery costs will mean electric vehicles will also be cheaper to buy in the U.S. and Europe as soon as 2025," a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-26/electric-cars-seen-cheaper-than-gasoline-models-within-a-decade" target="_blank">Bloomberg New Energy Finance</a> said. "Batteries currently account for about half the cost of EVs, and their prices will fall by about 77 percent between 2016 and 2030."
</p>
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California lawmakers extended the state's climate legislation Monday night, in what is being considered a victory for Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to lower greenhouse emissions.
The legislation, a package of bills that extends California's plan to address climate change, passed with a supermajority in both the Assembly and the Senate, insulating it from any legal challenges. The bill passed the Senate 28-12 and was approved 55-21 in the Assembly. Eight Republican lawmakers in the Assembly voted in favor of the bill, and three democrats voted against it. In the Senate, one Republican joined the Democrats voting for the legislation.
Brown's signature on the bill will extend the world's second-largest carbon market to 2030.
<p>"Tonight, California stood tall and once again, boldly confronted the existential threat of our time," Gov. Brown said in a statement. "Republicans and Democrats set aside their difference, came together and took courageous action. That's what good government looks like."</p><p>However, as Inside Climate News <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17072017/california-cap-trade-bill-extended-2030-jerry-brown-victory" target="_blank">reported</a>, not everyone is celebrating:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">When Brown last week announced the legislation to extend the program, three vocal factions emerged: Republicans pleaded with the governor to back away from the proposal, saying it would hurt California's economy. Progressive environmental groups—including may representing polluted minority communities—bashed the proposals as a giveaway to polluters, particularly the oil industry. Other influential environmental groups applauded the legislation, saying it represented a reasonable balance that represented the best change for moving the program forward.</p><p>State Sen. Andy Vidak, speaking in opposition to the bill, said the laws represented a "regressive" tax that would not make any impact on climate change. "We could shut down the entire state of California and it would have no effect on the global climate," Vidak said.</p><p>Sen. Vidak is not alone in speaking out against the bill. The extension of AB 398, the state's cap-and-trade program, is being criticized by more than 50 California leading environmental organizations for making concessions to industry and consulting with the oil and gas lobby. The extension on the cap-and-trade program has very few changes. It still allows big polluters to continue buying permits to emit more greenhouse gases and bars some separate regulations on refineries.</p><p><strong>"</strong>This bill makes a bad cap-and-trade system even worse," Adam Scow, California director for Food & Water Watch. "It was written with oil and gas lobbyists and keeps us dependent of fossil fuels. The climate crisis demands that the state regulate and reduce pollution, but this bill gives polluters massive loopholes.</p><p>"Governor Brown's success in passing this polluter friendly bill is consistent with his record of supporting <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/fracking/">fracking</a> and firing regulators who attempted to hold Big Oil accountable."</p><p>Masada Disenhouse, <a href="http://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a>'s U.S. organizing coordinator and co-founder of SanDiego350, agrees. "This plan has Big Oil's fingerprints all over it and doesn't do enough to protect vulnerable communities or to achieve California's ambitious targets for reducing carbon pollution," Disenhouse said. "We need to extend California's climate law, but we also need to protect the ability of local air districts to regulate pollution in their backyards—not give refineries and other fossil fuel infrastructure a free pass to pollute."</p><p>Other environmental organizations showed their support for the bill.</p><p><span></span>Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp strongly supported <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB398" target="_blank">AB-398 </a>and <a href="http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB617" target="_blank">AB-617</a>. "This vote ensures that another generation of Californians will enjoy a world-leading cap-and-trade program that places a firm and declining limit on carbon pollution and holds polluters accountable," Krupp said. "At the same time, it provides the flexibility and cost-effectiveness necessary to achieve one of the most ambitious climate targets in the world."</p><p>Natural Resources Defense Council's Director of California advocacy, Annie Notthoff, said, "Cap-and-trade is a backstop for California's groundbreaking, comprehensive plan to reduce dangerous climate pollution. The legislature set aggressive new carbon-cutting targets last year, and extending cap-and-trade through 2030 helps ensure that the state will meet those new goals—a 40 percent statewide reduction below 1990 levels by 2030, the toughest in North America."</p>
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