wildfires

Climate-Fueled Fires, Warming Threaten Western Forests

Climate-Fueled Fires, Warming Threaten Western Forests

Two new studies highlight the vulnerability of California forests. Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, has heated the atmosphere faster than conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains can adapt, shifting their ideal elevation 600 feet above where it was nearly a century ago, according to a study published in PNAS Nexus.

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    Western Wildfires Destroyed 246% More Homes and Buildings Over the Past Decade – Fire Scientists Explain What’s Changing

    Western Wildfires Destroyed 246% More Homes and Buildings Over the Past Decade – Fire Scientists Explain What’s Changing

    It can be tempting to think that the recent wildfire disasters in communities across the West were unlucky, one-off events, but evidence is accumulating that points to a trend.

    In a new study, we found a 246% increase in the number of homes and structures destroyed by wildfires in the contiguous Western U.S. between the past two decades, 1999-2009 and 2010-2020.

    Climate Crisis Raised the Risk of 2021 Weather Extremes, Annual Report Finds

    Climate Crisis Raised the Risk of 2021 Weather Extremes, Annual Report Finds

    The climate crisis has its fingerprints on several extreme weather events over the past two years, from drought in California to heavy rain in the UK. That’s the conclusion of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) special report Explaining Extreme Events in 2021 and 2022 from a Climate Perspective, presented by the National […]

    10 Costliest Climate Disasters of 2022

    10 Costliest Climate Disasters of 2022

    In 2022, there were 10 climate-fueled extreme weather events that caused more than $3 billion worth of damage each. That’s the disturbing conclusion of UK charity Christian Aid’s annual review of the year’s costliest and most destructive climate disasters, released December 27.  “Having ten separate climate disasters in the last year that each cost more […]

    Smoke From California Wildfires Dimmed Solar Energy in 2020

    Smoke From California Wildfires Dimmed Solar Energy in 2020

    In September of 2020, the smoke from major wildfires in California made the skies so dark that the state’s solar power production was reduced by 10 to 30 percent during peak hours, according to a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) study. For several days during the wildfires, solar energy forecasts significantly overestimated the amount […]

    California Votes Against Tax on Wealthy to Fund EV Incentives

    California Votes Against Tax on Wealthy to Fund EV Incentives

    Proposition 30 in California has been voted against in the midterm elections. The measure would have enacted a 1.75% tax on those making over $2 million, with the funding going toward climate programs, including subsidization for zero-emissions vehicles and funds for wildfire prevention. The measure was not supported by re-elected Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, who […]