The World Is Burning, And It’s Because of Climate Change

In case you are covering the many climate disasters currently happening in the United States, here are some important context and information that can help your reporting.

ON WILDFIRES

• More than 35 wildfires are raging in California, burning 125,000 acres in the San Francisco Bay area alone and threatening 25,000 businesses and homes this week. More than 1.1 million acres have burned since Aug. 15, according to the state’s firefighting agency.

• In Colorado, four wildfires are scorching forests there, forcing major evacuations. Half the state is experiencing severe to extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

• During the past few weeks, Arizona has been battling enormous wildfires. The fires had burned nearly 50 square miles with zero containment as of Aug. 22.

Why is this happening?

• Climate Change Is Increasing The Severity, Frequency, And Extent Of Wildfires. According to a report from the EPA: “Higher temperatures and drought are likely to increase the severity, frequency, and extent of wildfires in Colorado, which could harm property, livelihoods, and human health. In 2013, the Black Forest Fire burned 14,000 acres and destroyed over 500 homes. Wildfire smoke can reduce air quality and increase medical visits for chest pains, respiratory problems, and heart problems. The size and number of western forest fires have increased substantially since 1985.”

• Acres Burned By Wildfire Doubled In Recent Decades Due To Climate Change. According to the 2018 National Climate Assessment Report: “Wildfire is a natural part of many ecosystems in the Southwest, facilitating germination of new seedlings and killing pests. Although many ecosystems require fire, an excessive wildfire can permanently alter ecosystem integrity. Climate change has led to an increase in the area burned by wildfire in the western United States. Analyses estimate that the area burned by wildfire from 1984 to 2015 was twice what would have burned had climate change not occurred. Furthermore, the area burned from 1916 to 2003 was more closely related to climate factors than to fire suppression, local fire management, or other non-climate factors.”  

Black, Brown, and Indigenous People Disproportionately Affected

• Latino Americans are three times as likely as white Americans to lack health insurance, leaving them especially vulnerable to health impacts from air pollution and natural disasters.

• A 2014 survey showed Latinos were the least-prepared demographic for a major disaster in Los Angeles.

ON HURRICANES

• Marco is closing in on the Louisiana coast, while Tropical Storm Laura killed at least 11 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

• The National Hurricane Center said Marco’s sustained winds had decreased to 70 miles per hour, though it still warned of life-threatening storm surges along the Gulf Coast.

• Scientists are worried that the 2020 hurricane season could rival 2005, the record-breaking year that produced Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, and exhausted the Greek alphabet to name the total number of them, all the way up to Zeta.

• The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been off to a rapid pace with a record-setting nine named storms so far. Historically, only two named storms form on average by early August and the ninth named storm typically does not form until October 4.

• An updated outlook calls for 19-25 named storms, of which 7-11 will become hurricanes, including 3-6 major hurricanes.

Why is this happening?

• “Climate Change Is Making Hurricanes Stronger” “Hurricanes have become stronger worldwide during the past four decades, an analysis of observational data shows, supporting what theory and computer models have long suggested: climate change is making these storms more intense and destructive. The analysis, of satellite images dating to 1979, shows that warming has increased the likelihood of a hurricane developing into a major one of Category 3 or higher, with sustained winds greater than 110 miles an hour, by about 8 percent a decade.”

• James Kossin, NOAA Climate Scientist, And Lead Author Claimed Stronger Hurricanes “Will Continue To Happen As Long As We Continue To Warm The Planet.” “The effects of a warmer world on cyclones, researchers said, suggest ‘there is a likely human fingerprint’ and that ruling out a man-made role would be ‘considered overly conservative’ given understanding on how a warmer world affects ocean energy. ‘I think at some point you say, yeah, I’m pretty well convinced that this has happened and it will continue to happen as long as we continue to warm the planet,’ said James Kossin, the lead author, and NOAA climate scientist.”

• Environmental Experts: The Trump Administration’s Moves To Undermine U.S. Action On Climate Change Made Deadly Storms More Likely. “The U.S. government’s most recent report by top climate scientists predicts that seas will rise by at least another few inches in the next 15 years and by 1 to 4 feet by the end of the century. Other research has concluded that sea levels could rise by more than 6 feet by the end of the century because of faster-than-expected melting in Antarctica.” 

Black, Brown, and Indigenous People Disproportionately Affected

• A 2018 poll found that 65% of Latinos report experiencing the effects of climate change in their own lives.

• A 2014 report from the NAACP found Latinos less likely to have homeowners insurance, making them “more vulnerable to their entire wealth being drained by a hurricane or other natural disaster.”

• Latinos make up 40 percent of the population in eight Florida cities that will flood during future high tides.

ON HEAT WAVES

• Some 45 million people remain under some sort of heat warning or advisories.

• The Western U.S. suffered excruciating heat waves this month. From Northern Montana to Southern California, 56 million people were under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories.

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 8,000 people in the United States died of heat-related symptoms between 1999 and 2010.

Why is this happening?

• Climate change has already raised average temperatures in many Southwestern cities by 2 degrees Celsius. Conditions aren’t much better on the East Coast. Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and New Hampshire each experienced their hottest July on record this summer.

Black, Brown, and Indigenous People Disproportionately Affected

• Most heat-related deaths happen in cities and occur among non-white people, according to the CDC. The states with the highest death rates, the agency said, are Arizona, Texas, and California. Officials in Maricopa County, Ariz., where the mercury has hit 115 degrees a record-breaking eight times this summer, are already investigating at least 243 deaths linked to heat illness — 111 more cases than were recorded at this point last year.

• Latino workers are far more likely to be affected directly by climate change. In 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 17% of Latino workers worked in natural resources, construction, or maintenance, compared to just 10% of white workers.

• Latinos are 21 percent more likely than non-Hispanic whites to live in the hottest parts of cities.

• Latinos are around three times more likely to die at work from heat-related causes than Non-Hispanic whites.