Climate change is blamed for every global catastrophe, from diabetes to Chic Fil A’s Sunday closures.
In the latest “your gas-powered Honda is destroying the universe” claim by climate change enthusiasts, the raging wildfires in California, despite being a predictable phenomenon for decades, are caused by global warming.
According to climate change activists, man-made global warming contributes to the increase in frequency, intensity, and severity of wildfires worldwide. This latest announcement dealt a devastating blow to Smokey the Bear, who was unable to be reached for comment.
On the surface, the claims make sense.
Self-proclaimed man-made climate change experts say, as temperatures rise, the land becomes drier due to increased evaporation. This creates a more favorable environment for wildfires as dry vegetation, including trees, grasses, and shrubs, becomes more susceptible to catching fire and allows fires to spread rapidly.
They also contend that global warming leads to an extension of the fire season in many regions. Warmer temperatures cause snow to melt earlier, and longer dry periods increase the time frame during which wildfires can ignite and spread.
According to the experts, climate change affects weather patterns, resulting in more frequent and severe thunderstorms. These storms generate lightning, a common natural ignition source for wildfires. With the increase in thunderstorm activity, the likelihood of lightning strikes rises, thereby triggering more wildfires.
Even more, per climate change activists, warmer temperatures associated with global warming contribute to the spread of pests and insects. Bark beetles, for instance, thrive in such conditions and can infest forests, weakening and killing trees. These dead and dying trees become fuel for wildfires, intensifying their occurrence and impact.
Finally, there are claims that climate change disrupts precipitation patterns, leading to altered rainfall distribution and intensity. Some regions experience more intense rainfall events, promoting vegetation growth that subsequently dries out and becomes susceptible to fires. Conversely, other areas may suffer from prolonged droughts, increasing dryness, and the risk of fire.
This is where rationality stops, however, and sheer absurdity takes over. Scientists say the fires are worsening because of human-caused climate change, caused by the greenhouse gases released by burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas. Carbon dioxide and methane, scientists insist, are released into the atmosphere and cause global air and ocean temperatures to rise to levels that “cannot be explained by natural factors.”
A recent research study alleges that man-made climate change is completely responsible for an increase in forest fires and that the surge has “no natural factors.” While this leaves many people wondering when lightning strikes ceased to be a natural occurrence, others wonder how the research team came to this conclusion.
According to the team, no natural factors have been behind forest fires since 2001. This startling “fact” was reached when the team used computer-driven models to measure the effects of “natural climate variation” against “human-caused climate change.” Computer-based results, however, are only as good as the data fed into the machine and biased opinions will directly affect the results of any conclusion.
Naturally, the conclusion fuels more than wildfires. It also fuels a predictably dire warning and renewed calls for drastic action.
Amir AghaKouchak, the co-author of the University of California study, states, “We found that we can expect as much as a 50% increase in burned area from 2031 to 2050 relative to the past few decades.”
Obviously, your car and lawn mower are responsible for catastrophic wildfires, and the only way to stop them is drastic action, such as taxation and removing gas stoves from kitchens in the United States.
AghaKouchak doubles down on this conclusion, saying, “Our paper makes it clear that the problem is ours to fix and that we can take steps to help solve it. By acting now to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions and pursue more sustainable transportation, energy production, and agricultural practices, we can reduce the adverse effects of global climate change.”
There is evidence of catastrophic fires in the past, however, and the Earth’s climate has changed many times with no human intervention throughout the planet’s history. Over the past 800,000 years, there have been eight climate change cycles, from ice ages to warming and back again.
Climate change alarmists, however, warn that the current cycle of climate change is happening at a rate not seen in over 10,000 years. They claim that humans are escalating the cycle, despite there being no vehicles or pollution 10,000 years ago.
Unfortunately for the latest man-made climate change warning of increased devastation of wildfires, out-of-control fires have been happening long before vehicles dominated the globe.
In 1825, the Miramichi Fire decimated 3 million acres from Canada down to Maine and killed 160 people. That fire is considered one of the largest in North America. In 1871, a Wisconsin event known as the Peshtigo Fire destroyed 1 million acres in Wisconsin and resulted in 1500 deaths, making it the deadliest fire in U.S. history. In 1910, wildfires burned out of control throughout Idaho, Montana, and Washington. Dubbed the “Great Fire of 1910,” it only lasted two days but destroyed 3 million acres and killed 87 people.
Ironically, a 2015 study found that fires were more common between 300 and 250 million years ago, a finding that appears to be the result of higher atmospheric oxygen levels and one that is ignored by man-made climate change alarmists.
Alternatively, perhaps early Triassic dinosaurs in minivans carelessly flicked cigarettes out their windows on relaxing Sunday drives.
