California Needs Action for Worsening Wildfires
Over 4 million acres of California’s land burned in wildfires in 2020, making it the state’s worst fire season yet. Unfortunately, the wildfire season in California is only expected to get worse in the coming years as a result of rising temperatures and subsequent drought. San Jose State University’s Fire Weather Research Lab reported that the moisture levels in forest kindling were at a new record low as of April this year. Unprecedented dryness in plants and the plant litter that lines forest floors is a recipe for wildfire — this dry foliage acts as an excellent propellant. With that in mind, it looks like 2021 could have another record-setting fire season.
Wildfire smoke turns the sky orange in San Francisco (Jessica Christian | The San Francisco Chronicle | Getty Images).
This year, California governor Gavin Newsom approved a 536 million dollar package aimed at preventing wildfires and improving the safety of communities for whom fires pose the greatest risk. Going forward, significant state and federal funding will be required to offset the growing threat wildfires pose to the state every year. In 2020, former president Trump infamously blamed Californians for their fire problem, threatening to withhold federal aid because of the state’s failure to “clean” their forests. Though he eventually approved an aid package, Trump’s statements highlight the need for leaders who understand and act on science.
President Biden’s climate plan will attempt to lower greenhouse gas emissions and slow warming temperatures, which will have an impact on fires — but likely not for many decades. Wildfires now pose a great risk to millions of California homes, and the cost of fire insurance in the state has spiked significantly as a result. Families who cannot afford fire insurance stand to lose everything in an emergency. Proactive measures to improve California’s fire preparedness will be crucial to save lives and structures in the future. Evacuation plans and stricter building codes are a good starting point and will be especially helpful to communities that border forests. California does not currently require cities to plan for evacuation, and that lack of preparedness has proved to be more deadly than necessary for some communities affected by wildfire.
Part of California’s wildfire problem is actually thanks to many years of insufficient action by politicians. Proper forest management, including controlled burns, could have mitigated the severity of today’s fires. Newsom’s wildfire package is a great start, but California will need to make fire preparedness a top priority consistently to prevent more disaster. To make that a reality, voters will need to hold California leaders accountable for climate action and make sure elected officials take fire safety seriously.
