Climate Change and California Wildfires by Alen Muratyan

                                 

              Climate change is a serious social issue that needs to solved. As Californians, we have witnessed that over the past decade the size and the intensity of wildfires in California have increased. Recently, we have had the Bobcat Fire in the central San Gabriel Mountains, and around the Los Angeles forest area. According to CNN article, Paul Vercammen and Hollie Silverman state that " The Bobcat fire is one of the largest in Los Angeles County history after scorching more than 100,000 acres." (Vercammen, Silverman 2020). 

The Bobcat Fire

    

       The main reason that I chose this topic to educate myself about the climate change because I want to learn about the connection between climate change and the California wildfires. This topic is important to me because wildfires threaten our lives in California. It's a serious social issue because smoke from wildfires can create serious health problems, and people can lose their lives. The animals also can lose their lives, and burned vegetation can increase the risk of flooding and mudslides. I was personally affected by wildfires because it made me sick. The bad air quality gave me a headache, and it also irritated my throat for three weeks. Friend of mine had to move to Joshua Tree because she has compromised immune system. 

        

              Climate change deserves more attention because Trump administration does not believe in climate change. About a month ago, Trump and California governor Gavin Newsom had a meeting about the California wildfires. During that meeting, Trump stated that " I don't think science knows. It'll start getting cooler. You just watch." (Breuninger 2020). The scary part is that it's possible that Trump does not actually know what climate change is which means that our government does not invest any funds to prevent climate change. Our government needs to take action, and start funding the science behind climate change. As a result of their ignorance, we most likely will witness more wildfires in California in the future.  

                                       

Governor Newsom confronts Trump on climate change, 9/14/2020

       

                There are many factors that contribute to climate change. The main cause of climate change is greenhouse gases that causes global warming. Nasa describes climate change as, "Many things can cause climate to change all on its own, Earth's distance from the sun can change. The sun can send out more or less energy. Oceans can change. When a volcano erupts, it can change our climate. Most scientists say humans can change climate too. People drive cars. People heat and cool their houses. People cook food. All those things take energy. One way we get energy is burning coal, oil and gas. Burning these things puts gases into the air. The gases cause the air to heat up. This can change the climate of a place. It also can change Earth's climate." (Dunbar 2015). 

California Average Temperature in August
(Indication of climate change in California)

Earth temperature graph by NASA

                                  

2010-2020 numbers of acres burned annually in California wildfires

                     California started taking bold steps to stop the climate change. Couple weeks ago, governor Gavin Newsom announced that " he issued an executive order requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035, and additional measures to eliminate harmful emissions from the transportation sector." (Newsom 2020). He also pointed out that " For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. Californians should not have to worry of our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars should not make wildwires worse-create more days filled with smoky air. Cars should not melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines." (Newsom 2020). 

                                               

                                                         An Artist Who Engages With Climate Change

        "Mette Lampcov is a freelance documentary photographer from Denmark, and is currently based in Los Angeles. She is currently concentrating on long term project about climate crisis, a photographic account of how climate change is affecting the people and landscape of California, she has worked extensively on drought, flooding, wildfires, and tree morality and public health issues connected to climate change."(Lampcov n.d.). 

                           

Mette Lampcov

                                          California Wildfires Aftermath Photographed by Mette Lampcov

               Climate change is not just a scientific issue, it is just as much a social issue. Our government must take actions against climate change, and they need to follow the science. We could also take bigger steps in our lifestyle to stop climate change. California burns every year, and this must stop now. We need to educate ourselves and future generations about climate change. We need to protect our environment for future generations. 

                                                           References

Breuninger, Kevin. “'I Don't Think Science Knows,' Trump Responds When Challenged on Climate Change at Wildfire Briefing.” CNBC, CNBC, 15 Sept. 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/09/14/trump-challenged-on-climate-change-during-wildfire-briefing.html.

California, State of. “Governor Newsom Announces California Will Phase Out Gasoline-Powered Cars & Drastically Reduce Demand for Fossil Fuel in California's Fight Against Climate Change.” California Governor, 23 Sept. 2020, www.gov.ca.gov/2020/09/23/governor-newsom-announces-california-will-phase-out-gasoline-powered-cars-drastically-reduce-demand-for-fossil-fuel-in-californias-fight-against-climate-change/.  

https://climate.nasa.gov/

        Dunbar, Brian. “What Is Climate Change?” NASA, NASA, 13 May 2015,         www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-climate-change-k4.html.

https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/?s=wildfires.

       “Mette Lampcov Photography, ABOUT.” Mette Lampcov Photography,                          www.mettelampcov.com/about.

         https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/californias-catastrophic-wildfires-in-3-charts.

Vercammen, Paul, and Hollie Silverman. “The Bobcat Fire Is One of the Largest in Los Angeles County History after Scorching More than 100,000 Acres.” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 Sept. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/09/21/us/bobcat-fire-los-angeles-county/index.html.