Climate Crisis AM Edition 3/6/24 Wildfires With Too Much Rain
Scientists are examining the connection between global warming and the largest wildfire in Texas history. They are more complex than current drought and heat conditions. A wet winter may have been a primary catalyst for the fire, which has already burned over one million acres. Park Williams, a University College of Los Angeles geography professor, told The Washington Post, “In order for warming to have a reliable influence on fire, abundant fuels are needed, and the grassland fuel availability in this region is strongly affected by year-to-year swings in precipitation.” First, it is too wet, and then, it is too dry.
Dirty Cars —Low Gas Mileage
High Temperatures —2024 All-Time Numbers
The climate crisis has caused some developing nations to go into debt to fight the effects of global warming. As those debts come due, these nations suffer financial difficulties. The UN has done an extensive analysis of the problem in the Bahamas. According to InsideClimate News, “In 2019, Hurricane Dorian, the most recent major hurricane to hit the Carribean nation of about 700 islands, caused a staggering $3.4 billion in damage, equal to roughly one-fourth of the country’s GDP. “ As it began to take on debt to repair the damage, it was paying off the costs of an earlier storm.
Magafires
According to a study in Nature, land management may be key to lowering the costs of huge wildfires. The study was titled “Megafires are here to stay — and blaming only climate change won’t help.” The primary conclusion of the work was “Countries need to take megafires more seriously and implement urgent programmes to mitigate the associated risks. That’s doesn’t just mean tackling the root causes of climate change. It means more-effective and consistent land- and fire-management policies, greater efforts to conserve native species and more education for local people on how to minimize risks.”
Vote Against Fossil Fuel
The New Jersey legislature voted to force the state to stop future investment in fossil fuel plants. Its public works pension program may also divest itself of similar investments. According to NJ Spotlight, “The resolution asks voters to approve a constitutional amendment that would ban new fossil-fuel power plants. Natural gas provides electricity to more than 40% of New Jerseyans, more than nuclear plants, the second-largest source. “
