California Wildfires are NOT Climate Driven

Yesterday the Sacramento Bee claimed that the Palisades fires are because of climate change. “No joke,” as the outgoing President likes to say.

Sacramento Bee: Climate change fueled LA area wildfires in CA, experts say

PBS: Warming climate created ‘perfect storm’ for catastrophic fires, NASA researcher says

NBC Los Angeles: The clear links between the California wildfires and climate change

New York Times: The California Wildfires Are the Latest Disaster Supercharged by climate change: “Extreme weather events — deadly heat waves, floods, fires and hurricanes — are the consequences of a warming planet, scientists say.”

These reporters actually believe the fires were the result of rising temperatures around the globe, instead of being fueled by dense vegetation that had built up over years, as is the case with the Palisades fire.

Claiming that these fires are because of climate change is patently absurd. I don’t think anyone who just watched their home, neighborhood and schools burn to the ground is thinking “that damned climate change…”

Most people actually know that the “climate change” moniker is the latest catch-all for dull and deceitful politicians, and low-information journalists as cover for their incompetence and corruption. It’s also a good excuse for politicians to redistribute taxpayer funds to shady NGOs and non-profit organizations which claim that more public money will solve the climate problem.

Anthony Watts, a meteorologist (and has been a contributor to the Globe), published an article at his website, Watts Up With That?, and explains why climate change did not cause these latest fires:

The current fires, like many before them, are largely driven by well-documented weather phenomena, historical land-use patterns, and human decisions—not by a nebulous, all-encompassing narrative of “climate factors.”

California’s relationship with fire predates the Industrial Revolution and certainly modern climate discussions. Historical records and studies consistently demonstrate that large wildfires have been a natural part of the state’s ecosystem for millennia. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the frequency of large wildfires in Southern California has remained relatively consistent over the last century, with human settlement and land management playing a much larger role than global temperature trends (source).

Watts includes a map of wildfires dating back to 1878 which shows that wildfires are endemic to California.

He also differentiates actual “weather” events from “climate change:”

Santa Ana winds are a short-term weather event, not a long-term climate trend.

A critical factor in the Los Angeles wildfires is the role of the infamous Santa Ana winds, which are neither new nor related to climate change. These dry, gusty winds are a recurring weather phenomenon caused by high-pressure systems over the Great Basin that force hot, dry air down through Southern California’s mountain passes. They’ve been a well-documented driver of wildfires for as long as records exist.

Land management is crucial and a factor in the Palisades fires.

Decades of fire suppression policies have allowed dry brush, dead trees, and dense vegetation to accumulate, creating the perfect conditions for catastrophic fires. The Palisades Fire, for instance, was fueled by dense vegetation that had built up over years, according to reports cited by Newsweek.

Urban sprawl into fire-prone areas—the wildland-urban interface—further exacerbates the problem.

Watts concludes:

The rush to attribute every fire to climate change oversimplifies the issue and distracts from actionable solutions. Improving forest management, enforcing defensible space requirements, and addressing urban sprawl into fire-prone areas are steps we can take today.

It is crucial to separate hype from reality. These fires are not proof of a climate crisis but a reminder of the importance of thoughtful land management and disaster preparedness.

Please read his entire article – it’s excellent and important, and cuts through the hyperbole and stupidity of the left. “The media’s fixation on climate change as a universal scapegoat leaves critical factors like land management, urban planning, and fire prevention under-discussed.”

Why California Wildfires are NOT Climate Driven: A Historical and Meteorological Perspective.