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.
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.”
At least 21 wildfires are burning across Oregon and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate or experienced preventative power shutoffs as several days of “red flag” warnings led to “extreme fire growth” across the state. The Cedar Creek Fire had burned nearly 87,000 acres and was completely uncontained as of Sunday evening. More […]
Hurricane Kay, which is currently churning off the coast of Baja California, could be the rare Northeast Pacific hurricane to impact the northern Mexican peninsula as well as drought-ravaged Southern California. The storm could bring relief to a state baking under a record-breaking September heat wave, but heavy rainfall poses risks as well. “[I]t’s never […]
What Are Wildfires? Wildfires, also commonly called forest fires or bushfires, are unplanned and uncontrolled fires burning in a vegetated landscape, such as a forest or grasslands. Many wildfires are sparked by human activity, such as campfires, or natural causes, like lightning. Dry conditions and prolonged droughts, which are becoming more frequent with climate change, […]
A fast-growing wildfire, named the McKinney Fire, has grown to more than 52,000 acres in two days, becoming California’s largest wildfire in 2022. Two people have been reported dead and nearly 3,000 residents have been asked to evacuate. It is 0% contained, although heavy smoke helped slow the growth on Sunday even as it kept most aircraft grounded. […]
A wildfire burning in California has spread from a national park into a national forest. The Washburn Fire ignited July 7 in Yosemite National Park and promptly forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from the town of Wawona and the closure of the park’s southern entrance, as The Guardian reported. Since then, it has […]
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