In 2016, the worst California drought in 1,200 years ended with a once-in-a-century rainy season in Northern California. Last winter’s “atmospheric river” rainstorms produced lots of grass and brush that dried out completely during an extremely hot summer.
The largest fire in California history, the Thomas Fire, has burned more than 280,000 acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as firefighters entered the fifth week of battling this destructive blaze. Shifting sundowner and Santa Ana winds, with upwards of 65 mph gusts, pushed the fire in changing directions daily. Seven of California’s 10 largest modern wildfires have occurred in the last 14 years.
Climate change is fueling more destructive fires. When temperatures rise, as CO2 levels increase, Cal Fire predicts a 300 percent increase in wildfire risk by 2050. California’s fires will be larger, more intense, and more frequent. The California fire season used to last a few months—now it is almost a year-round activity.
County and city land-use policies do not reflect the increasing fire risk. More and more developments are built in the foothills, forests, and chaparral as available urban land shrinks. California has 5 million homes along the wildland-urban interface, which makes fighting fires more difficult, dangerous, and expensive.
Climate denial of increasing fire risks is dangerous for all of us. Land-use policies should realistically reflect the consequences of climate change, rising temperatures, and the changing weather patterns in California.
This article appears in Jan 4-11, 2018.