October 5, 2021
Feature Story
by Tara Malhotra
I took one last look over my shoulder at the flames that had engulfed the hill behind my house. I left home at three in the morning, uncertain if my house would be standing when I returned. I was allowed to go back after a week of evacuation. Though my home was intact, I still felt as if my world had been torn apart.
Sadly, my family’s experience of being evacuated during the 2019 Skirball Fire is far from unique. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 42,000 people have been evacuated due to California wildfires in 2021 alone. This year, over 7,000 fires have been reported, consuming around two million acres of land and ruining over 5,000 buildings. These tallies continue to grow.
The statistics do not reflect an atypical year, given the new normal for California. A 2018 study published in Natural Hazards showed that houses at risk due to fires had increased by 1,000% in five years. Wildfires have escalated each year since then, with Scientific American reporting that the 2021 season is on track to surpass last year’s records.
The driving force behind these worsening wildfires is climate change. In October of 2020, Scientific American stated that the number of hot and dry days in California has more than doubled since the 1980s.
These changes in temperature especially threaten the state’s terrain. Laura Feucht, a Brentwood School biology teacher, describes an independent study she conducted on sage, flammability, and their correlation to climate change.
“The California landscape is no stranger to wildfires. What’s happening with increasing regularity is that these fires are being blown out of control. This is a strong indicator of climate change,” Feucht said.
In turn, more fires fuel climate change in a “vicious cycle” as described by IQ Air, a Swiss company that focuses on air quality. Warmer temperatures, decreased rainfall, and less snowpack allow fires to burn more land for longer periods of time, which consequently worsens climate change.
In April, Governor Gavin Newsom approved a $536 million plan to combat the devastating California wildfires. This package is more than double the amount previously allocated towards wildfire solutions. It aims to add prevention measures, which include support for firefighters, vegetation management, and fireproofing materials. An additional $80 million in emergency funds went to hiring 1,400 new firefighters.
Brentwood School Belldegrun Center for Innovative Leadership Entrepreneurship Coordinator Zachary Chien shares a few ways that people can minimize their impact on climate change, and thereby decrease the risk of fires.
“When it comes to environmental stewardship, I definitely think we have a collective responsibility as individuals to be conscious consumers. Learning what goes in landfill, recycling, and compost along with utilizing public transport are some options for those who want to do their part,” Chien said.
As wildfires continue to rage, our state remains under threat. Time will tell if Governor Newsom’s plan will be successful in improving this wildfire season. It is hard to believe that last year’s record-setting fire season could one day be considered mild, but that may be our current trajectory.
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