Devastating Fires Signal Dire Consequences of Climate Change
UN Report Says 2030 is Tipping Point for Irreversible Damage
Anyone standing on top of the Science and Learning Center in recent days could look north and west to see huge plumes of smoke expanding into the sky like a mushroom cloud from an atom bomb. What looks like giant, fluffy gray clouds is actually smoke billowing into an already carbon-saturated atmosphere.
The source is the catastrophic Woosley fire engulfing Northwest Los Angeles County, including much of Malibu and adjacent inland towns such as Calabasas and Agoura Hills. The fire, which has claimed two lives so far, reached up into Thousand Oaks, which must face the devastation of a massive and deadly fire on the same week it the historically safe city suffered a mass murder at a popular watering hole.
The Woolsey fire has now burned more 80,000 acres, destroying 117 homes and forcing 265,000 people to evacuate. Two people have died so far in the Woolsey fire, while the Camp Fire in Northern California has claimed 29 lives so far, putting it on track to be the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in the state’s history.
On recent Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles, the sky became blanketed by smoke and ash — the smell as thick as the dirty air. It is November and the hot and dry Santa Ana winds create a perfect catalyst for fires to start ripping up and down California. An increase in wildfires throughout the year is only one ramification of the climate change that is altering the environment and affecting people, property and nature.
A couple degrees temperature rise may seem more likely to usher in more beach days in January than a world-wide disaster, but climate experts say a global temperature increase of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) is enough to cause irreversible climate damage that would result in grave human and environmental impacts around the world.
A stunning report issued in early October by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the planet has until 2030 to stave off the humans-caused climate disaster. Such a rise in temperature would be a tipping point, increasing the risk of drought, fires, floods, and food shortages for people all around the world. As sea levels rise due to the ice caps melting, hundreds of millions of people would be forced to abandon their homes and seek safety. For perspective, 100 million would be over 7,000 times the size of the caravan of Central American refugees heading north right now.
Global temperatures have already increased about 1.6 degrees Farenheit. The earth’s global surface temperature in 2017 was the second warmest since 1880, according to NASA. Summer 2018 was the fourth-hottest summer on record with 95 wildfires burning from Texas to Washington State. Ecosystems and residents alike are feeling the heat. The Carr fire in Redding, California this past summer displaced 40,000 people and burned over 1,000 structures and more than 110,000 acres. In Greece, 91 people died in a July wildfire, causing people to flee into the ocean for refuge. In Japan, a summer heatwave reached record-breaking temperatures of over 105° F, killing eight people and hospitalizing 22,000.
In early November here in California, the Camp Fire in Northern California spread rapidly, burning over 10,000 acres in mere hours. The Woosley fire nearly doubled in size in a matter of hours — displacing hundreds of thousands of residents in Ventura County, Malibu and communities along the 101 Freeway. The dry conditions create a perfect landscape for a fire to roar through. The effects on wildlife, industry, and our entire ecosystem are profound.
After the UN report, people took to Twitter in hopes of spreading information about how we can mitigate against the effects of global warming. Some claimed that humans need to cut back on meat and dairy, others encouraged less plastic use, while some argued that large corporations are the culprit.
The effects of global warming are already happening, impacting earth and humans, yet many people are not seeing the danger. When this rapid rise in temperature does not seem to impact your daily life, it can be hard to understand the steep implications.
Dr. Kakaliouras, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Whittier College, believes that people are not as concerned as they should be. “There are a lot of dire warnings but there is a lot of inaction,” she said. “We have not shifted into a renewable energy economy and we should be doing that quickly.”
There are a lot of dire warnings but there is a lot of inaction.
Kakaliouras argues that while industry is a big contributor to global warming, so are gasoline-powered cars. Alternative energy sources need to be emphasized more institutionally and privately. She explained that “clean coal is not really a thing” and we need to put more emphasis on alternative energy. “There need to be more governmental incentives for people to buy cars that are not powered by gas,” she says.
Lillian Ashby, third-year environmental studies minor, said that her family invested in a Prius to help limit the amount of gas she would be using. “There is no need to be contributing to the mass amounts of fossil fuels being used — especially in the Los Angeles area. Taking a step to ensure that my car is more environmentally friendly has made me more aware of other ways I can make a difference. I recently stopped eating meat, because I know that the meat industry is a large contributor to global warming.”
Dr. Angevine, Assistant Professor of Political Science here at Whittier, agrees that government needs to incentivize people to participate in sustainable actions. She also believes that recycling is easy and impactful. “It’s the simplest everyday act to demonstrate environmental consciousness,” said Angevine. “I don’t feel like it is normalized or expected here.”
As the droughts intensify each year in Southern California, Kakaliouras thinks the major impact of global warming on California will be lack of water. “There have to be newer and better ways to provide water that don’t involve starving rivers,” she explained. She suggests an increase in desalinization plants to turn salt water into drinkable water and urges institutions and private citizens alike to invest in alternative energy like solar and wind power.
Kakaliouras also encourages sourcing food as locally as possible. Using fossil fuels to transport food from one side of the country to the other is unnecessary and wasteful. In the U.S., one meal travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets to a plate. Meghan Pistolesi, a representative of the Sustainability Club here at Whittier, said that the club works in the garden on campus to grow local fruits and vegetables. The club also organizes beach clean-up events for students on campus.
In the U.S., one meal travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets to a plate.
Whittier College recently revamped it landscaping on campus to be more eco-friendly. The grounds crew replaced over 6,000 square feet of grass with low-maintenance, drought-resistant plants that thrive in the dry conditions of Southern California.
Nobody and nowhere is immune to the impact global warming is having and will continue to have. 2030 is only 12 years away. Whether it is being aware of ways to help locally or on a larger scale, now is the time to make a difference.
