wildfires

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.

The Federal Reserve — the central banking system of the U.S. — has told the six largest banks in the country to put together data on the anticipated effect climate change events like wildfires, floods, heat waves, droughts and hurricanes would have on their business operations. The banks have until July 31 to provide the […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Los Angeles (UCLA) has calculated a new impact: the burns released so much carbon dioxide that it canceled out the state’s attempts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between 2003 and 2019. 

If you live in the Western U.S., you’ve probably woken up to an August or September morning like this: The sun rises orange through a pinky-brown haze, the wind blowing through your open window smells like burning plastic and the air quality on your IQAir app blazes red for “Unhealthy.”