Re: Wildfires and climate a vicious cycle
On this 22nd anniversary of the worst catastrophic occurrence in our country (9/11) we read of yet another impending catastrophe. Our California wildfires are at issue. They cause problems elsewhere. No disagreement is apparent concerning these problems but at issue is exactly how wildfires are reported and better managed.
In our beloved state we conform to emission standards on our automobiles, in our energy producing industries and in our factories. Wildfires are not included.
Silly to add, of course, is that no emission standards can be placed on wildfires. Because of pollution standards. Gov. Newsom can project to zero carbon by 2045. There appears to be disagreement; wildfires drop a smokescreen on that report. The awful truth seems to be that zero carbon cannot be achieved considering the events of forest fires.
Wildfires have been considered natural occurrences like earthquakes and floods and not man made; however now wildfires present a different profile. They are exploding in cold regions like Alaska and Canada and never before seen as some of these dense forests are in permafrost.
As difficult to understand as spontaneous fires igniting in cold is the vast amounts of carbon dioxide fumes and heavy particulate matter in dense smoke that contaminates air currents traveling the globe.
There we have the big picture: wildfires affect the whole world as your paper explains. Agreement is there; disagreement involves whether they are man made or not. There resides the vicious cycle. Whether or not man made, the climate damage and change is agreed upon. What is most frightening is the fact that with the occurrence of wildfires, zero carbon cannot soon be achieved, soon being 2030 or even 2045.Â
Looming as an incontrovertible fact is that much more has to be promoted and achieved to slow the danger of climate change. High consumption of fossil fuels is no longer viable. Energy from sun and wind must be implemented as soon as possible.
Mary Zanger
Hollister
