Wharton Sinkler: The California wildfires and a call to action on climate

To The Daily Sun,

The recent wildfires in California are devastating. I’ve just learned that the home and belongings of the son of local friends, a resident of Los Angeles, were completely destroyed.

While Southern California is no stranger to fires, people should be aware of the context relating the severity of this year’s fires to climate change.

First, the summer of 2024 was the warmest ever recorded in Southern California. This is not a fluke, but is part of a trend of increasing summer temperatures in the region, drying the landscape and creating conditions for bigger, faster and more severe fires.

Second, Southern California has had just 0.29 inches of rain since May 2024, the second-lowest on record. Average rainfall for Los Angeles between Oct. 1 and early January is 4.64 inches, but this year it’s been only 0.16 inches. The fall and winter “rainy season” has historically made January wildfires in California quite rare. But extended droughts caused by persistent tropical Pacific high-pressure systems, parked over the Western U.S., are becoming more common as a result of climate change. These block incoming rain systems, and extend the fire season into January and February, which is when the Santa Ana winds peak.

So it’s pretty clear that conditions resulting from these climate-related factors have increased wildfire vulnerability.

It’s no longer avoidable: climate shifts, caused by our burning massive quantities of fossil fuel, are creating new levels of danger for our fellow citizens. And the likelihood that we ourselves will be spared serious exposure is getting slimmer.

It’s within our means, and high time, that we address this by enacting meaningful, cost-effective and bipartisan measures. To prevent even worse future disasters we should act now to cut the emissions that are causing climate change.

Wharton Sinkler

Sandwich