Los Angeles is burning. Fossil fuel companies laid the kindling. Soon the world will stop caring.
I’m sorry for sounding callous, but it’s true.
You’ve probably seen the headlines, the photos, the evacuation maps. At least 25 people dead, more than 12,000 homes and other buildings destroyed, tens of billions of dollars in damage and losses. Maybe you or your family or friends were forced to flee. Maybe the monstrous winds kept you awake late into the night, full of terror.
This is what climate chaos looks like.
There was no coal baron who lighted the matches. No oil driller who dried out the terrain, priming Southern California to burn. No gas executive who decided to build residential neighborhoods in already fire-prone landscapes.
But a global economy built on fossil fuels — and a U.S. political establishment funded in great part by fossil fuel corporations and their allies — brought us to this point. After two wet winters fueled the growth of grasses and brush — ideal kindling for fires — across SoCal mountains and hillsides, the last few months saw an abrupt shift to record-dry conditions. This kind of weather whiplash is a hallmark of global warming.
Add explosive Santa Ana winds to the mix, and it’s a recipe for apocalyptic infernos said Sammy Roth.
