Trent, Steve. “Fire, Floods, Famine: When Will We Act on Climate?” Environmental Justice Foundation, 22 Sept. 2020, ejfoundation.org/news-media/fire-floods-famine-when-will-we-act-on-climate.
In this article, the Environmental Justice Foundation states that the wildfires that happened in California were a product from years of mismanagement and thinking that we have years left before we are in real danger. But that is clearly not the case. Four million acres were burned in California alone, 35 people died in them, entire towns were burnt to ash and six fires this year have set new records for the worst fires in our history. They also point out that these fires are now a real threat to cities and not only endanger the poor but also the rich.
Usually when environmental justice is being talked about, there is a focus on how to help disadvantaged communities, but these fires showed that everyone is in danger and no one is safe. This season showed that the blazes were incredibly difficult to put out, but another danger revealed itself, displaying that smoke from the fires affects not just the state of California but those surrounding it, and has the potential to cause health problems to some people for years to come. This year is also especially difficult because of the added difficulty of the virus, making the lives of those who had lost their homes to be even more tragic.
I think it’s very interesting how you mention that many people are hurt without discrimination by wildfires. However, it is true that a lot of the effects of climate change disproportionately affect minorities and disadvantaged communities. If these wildfires aren’t harming them more than others, what are the types of environmental disasters that do affect them more? and what are the ways that we can make sure that they are not harmed more than others because of circumstances out of their control? As you said, there is so much long-term damage from these fires. It’s not just that buildings are burning and people are being displaced, but there is also increased pollution and smoke. With so many negative impacts, why are people not taking climate change seriously?
I totally agree about the lasting damage from these wildfires that will most likely cause life-long detrimental impacts on many communities. However, I also agree that since the cause of these forest fires was mismanagement, if we fail to effectively manage our forests in the best way possible, there will be worse years to come. We are on a slippery slope because our efforts to control and improve our forest management will include setting mini-controlled fires to stabilize the forest ecosystems. Since these fires will be smaller, the smoke probably won’t effect large communities but it could effect people near by. So, is it worth it to endanger people who chose to live where nature begs them not to in order to ensure better forest management for years to come?