California has been in the forefront of doing things about climate change. It’s the orange bone spur bozo & his Koch Brothers allies that won’t listen!
Most adults who have ever seen the classic Disney animated film Bambi remember it fondly for its scenes of pristine silvan beauty and innocent, friendly wildlife. But, as it happens, it’s one of the scariest movies around for real little kids, for 2 main reasons: Bambi’s mom gets shot and the realistically depicted terror of a forest fire.
Oh stop it. The reason for these horrendous wildfires is largely because of our 100 year policy of firefighting every fire that comes along. Allowing natural fires to burn clears out old deadfall, creates natural firebreaks and revitalizes the soil.
What we have done, especially near populated areas, is create huge tracts with 20, 30, even 50 years of accumulated undergrowth and deadfall. Another factor contributing are the laws that prevent landowners from clearing that same undergrowth that natural fires would normally eliminate.
I am sick to death of imbeciles trying to pawn this off as somehow related to “climate change”. The problem is definitely anthropegenic, but is have absolutely nothing to do with global warming.
The California grizzly, the passenger pigeon, the great auk are just a few of the animals that went extinct in the last 150 years and despite all the religions, rules, regulations and laws, we can always justify letting another species disappear when it suits our convenience. If we don’t respect nature it may become unsustainable so rapidly that we cannot stop a cascading effect that affects all of us.
B.N. California has and is doing as much as it can to address global warming. For Smokey the Bear ( an image associated with the Federal government ) to be addressing my state as if we have been lax is a failure in creating an accurate image in an editorial cartoon. What’s next posing Trump like St. Sebastian?
Yep, we never had forest fires when the ice covered everything. Then coal and oil were discovered, fire was discovered, the IC engine was invented, and the ice retreated. The forests burned, and the earth was ravaged. After a very long time, the knowledge of fossil fuels, fire, IC, etc., was forgotten, and ice covered the earth again. All was well, and Gaia was happy. Then the stupid scientists and inventors learned about nasty technology again, and the ice had to retreat once more. The earth suffered in terrible silence. After a few cycles of this, here we are today. Who knew prehistoric man was so smart?
If that’s not true, how did all the ice ages end without evil fossil fuels? What stopped the Little Ice Age? Composting horse manure? Burning peat? (BTW, burning peat in Finland generates more CO2 than automobile traffic, and peat is worse than coal or natural gas.)
Actually, Andylit’s main point is correct. The area now burning near Santa Barbara has not burnt in a century according to the fire officials. So it is a region rich in fuel.
But he is wrong to assume climate change has nothing to do with it. The fingerprint is weak, but it is there if you know what to look for. The key here is that the Santa Ana winds, are relatively strong this time. These blow into Southern California yearly (or more often), especially in the fall. So annually, there are fires.
Before explaining the climate link, I must give you some background on atmospheric dynamics. The earth regulates it’s surface temperature by transporting heat from the equator, and by moving cold air from the high pressure system over the arctic. (Similarly, but not exactly the same in the southern hemisphere.)
Generally, the cold air stays somewhat north, but can infringe south. (And hurricanes move warm air and water vapor north).
Warming of the arctic will destabilize the pattern of flows from the north. We have been seeing this as “polar vortex” incidents. They are not unprecedented, but they will occur more often. Likewise stationary high pressure areas in the mid-latitudes are not new, but they may also become more frequent, and perhaps more persistent.
The south recently experienced very cold weather because winds from the north were deflected to the Southeast by the stationary high pressure area over the Great Basin. The same high pressure area that has been sending winds into Southern California.
To summarize: Yes global warming is and will affect the weather. Global Warming doesn’t mean everything warms the same, because the earth is not a uniform thermal mass, and because the existing atmospheric flows (and oceanic flows) have evolved to deal with slowly varying changes in the temperature distributions. But man’s addition of CO2 and other greenhouse gases has been very rapid on an earth history time scale.
To repeat something I wrote elsewhere, people forget that small scale processes can have big effects. Especially if there is something that works to leverage the small change to a large one,
If you build the largest steel ship in the world, but fail to take into account the effect of water on steel, you may find that the slow, small scale effect of rust has destroyed your ship after time, (Put it in salt water, and it goes faster).
Likewise, CO2 and Methane (CH4) are just tiny molecules, but it they have the property that they tend to trap some infrared radiation from the surface (ground and water) and the air, leading to a rise in temperature of the atmosphere. Like rust and corrosion, they work 365.25/24, even in the dark.
We’ve increased CO2 from 315 ppm to over 405 ppm in less than 60 years. The CO2 does not magically go away. The processes to remove it from the atmosphere take generations. Without a significant reduction in amount of greenhouse gases added, we are stuck with it and the inexorable side effects for centuries to come.
Rejecting the burning of fossil fuels doesn’t mean we give up civilization. We have a good start on renewable energy sources. We can build better, and much, much, much safer nuclear power plants. We can then have electric vehicles with no fossil fuel use. And save that oil for making plastics, etc, instead of just burning it up.
The reason for the Skirball Fire was a homeless camp fire under the 405 Freeway. Not global warming. If Jerry Brown was a true “Green” governor, he would close the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility. He is a fake and most Califonians know it.
Santa Monica Mountains study is showing massive change, especially in trees and riparian due to climate change. The old “normal, natural” cycle for fire in chaparral is about every ten years. Urban encroachment, and yes objection to prescibed fires making smoke has led to problems there too. But these fires are no longer “normal” and climate change is the biggie. BTW,my first big fire was Bel-Air in 1961, helped out a friend who was with LA County fire department.
Mr. Blawt over 6 years ago
Only you can prevent pollution!
strictures over 6 years ago
California has been in the forefront of doing things about climate change. It’s the orange bone spur bozo & his Koch Brothers allies that won’t listen!
Richard S Russell Premium Member over 6 years ago
Most adults who have ever seen the classic Disney animated film Bambi remember it fondly for its scenes of pristine silvan beauty and innocent, friendly wildlife. But, as it happens, it’s one of the scariest movies around for real little kids, for 2 main reasons: Bambi’s mom gets shot and the realistically depicted terror of a forest fire.
Radish the wordsmith over 6 years ago
When will they ever learn?
Andylit Premium Member over 6 years ago
Oh stop it. The reason for these horrendous wildfires is largely because of our 100 year policy of firefighting every fire that comes along. Allowing natural fires to burn clears out old deadfall, creates natural firebreaks and revitalizes the soil.
What we have done, especially near populated areas, is create huge tracts with 20, 30, even 50 years of accumulated undergrowth and deadfall. Another factor contributing are the laws that prevent landowners from clearing that same undergrowth that natural fires would normally eliminate.
I am sick to death of imbeciles trying to pawn this off as somehow related to “climate change”. The problem is definitely anthropegenic, but is have absolutely nothing to do with global warming.
superposition over 6 years ago
The California grizzly, the passenger pigeon, the great auk are just a few of the animals that went extinct in the last 150 years and despite all the religions, rules, regulations and laws, we can always justify letting another species disappear when it suits our convenience. If we don’t respect nature it may become unsustainable so rapidly that we cannot stop a cascading effect that affects all of us.
Masterskrain Premium Member over 6 years ago
Don’t worry. The Earth is a self-correcting entity. Once mankind has killed itself off, the planet will heal itself over time.
robnvon Premium Member over 6 years ago
B.N. California has and is doing as much as it can to address global warming. For Smokey the Bear ( an image associated with the Federal government ) to be addressing my state as if we have been lax is a failure in creating an accurate image in an editorial cartoon. What’s next posing Trump like St. Sebastian?
ahab over 6 years ago
Andylit clearly hasn’t handled elementary grade level science.
Ionizer over 6 years ago
Yep, we never had forest fires when the ice covered everything. Then coal and oil were discovered, fire was discovered, the IC engine was invented, and the ice retreated. The forests burned, and the earth was ravaged. After a very long time, the knowledge of fossil fuels, fire, IC, etc., was forgotten, and ice covered the earth again. All was well, and Gaia was happy. Then the stupid scientists and inventors learned about nasty technology again, and the ice had to retreat once more. The earth suffered in terrible silence. After a few cycles of this, here we are today. Who knew prehistoric man was so smart?
If that’s not true, how did all the ice ages end without evil fossil fuels? What stopped the Little Ice Age? Composting horse manure? Burning peat? (BTW, burning peat in Finland generates more CO2 than automobile traffic, and peat is worse than coal or natural gas.)
Frankfreak over 6 years ago
Ionizer, you are not making any points with your dreck.
Baslim the Beggar Premium Member over 6 years ago
Actually, Andylit’s main point is correct. The area now burning near Santa Barbara has not burnt in a century according to the fire officials. So it is a region rich in fuel.
But he is wrong to assume climate change has nothing to do with it. The fingerprint is weak, but it is there if you know what to look for. The key here is that the Santa Ana winds, are relatively strong this time. These blow into Southern California yearly (or more often), especially in the fall. So annually, there are fires.
Before explaining the climate link, I must give you some background on atmospheric dynamics. The earth regulates it’s surface temperature by transporting heat from the equator, and by moving cold air from the high pressure system over the arctic. (Similarly, but not exactly the same in the southern hemisphere.)
Generally, the cold air stays somewhat north, but can infringe south. (And hurricanes move warm air and water vapor north).Warming of the arctic will destabilize the pattern of flows from the north. We have been seeing this as “polar vortex” incidents. They are not unprecedented, but they will occur more often. Likewise stationary high pressure areas in the mid-latitudes are not new, but they may also become more frequent, and perhaps more persistent.
The south recently experienced very cold weather because winds from the north were deflected to the Southeast by the stationary high pressure area over the Great Basin. The same high pressure area that has been sending winds into Southern California.
To summarize: Yes global warming is and will affect the weather. Global Warming doesn’t mean everything warms the same, because the earth is not a uniform thermal mass, and because the existing atmospheric flows (and oceanic flows) have evolved to deal with slowly varying changes in the temperature distributions. But man’s addition of CO2 and other greenhouse gases has been very rapid on an earth history time scale.
Baslim the Beggar Premium Member over 6 years ago
To repeat something I wrote elsewhere, people forget that small scale processes can have big effects. Especially if there is something that works to leverage the small change to a large one,
If you build the largest steel ship in the world, but fail to take into account the effect of water on steel, you may find that the slow, small scale effect of rust has destroyed your ship after time, (Put it in salt water, and it goes faster).
Likewise, CO2 and Methane (CH4) are just tiny molecules, but it they have the property that they tend to trap some infrared radiation from the surface (ground and water) and the air, leading to a rise in temperature of the atmosphere. Like rust and corrosion, they work 365.25/24, even in the dark.
We’ve increased CO2 from 315 ppm to over 405 ppm in less than 60 years. The CO2 does not magically go away. The processes to remove it from the atmosphere take generations. Without a significant reduction in amount of greenhouse gases added, we are stuck with it and the inexorable side effects for centuries to come.Rejecting the burning of fossil fuels doesn’t mean we give up civilization. We have a good start on renewable energy sources. We can build better, and much, much, much safer nuclear power plants. We can then have electric vehicles with no fossil fuel use. And save that oil for making plastics, etc, instead of just burning it up.
DenO Premium Member over 6 years ago
The reason for the Skirball Fire was a homeless camp fire under the 405 Freeway. Not global warming. If Jerry Brown was a true “Green” governor, he would close the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility. He is a fake and most Califonians know it.
Dtroutma over 6 years ago
Santa Monica Mountains study is showing massive change, especially in trees and riparian due to climate change. The old “normal, natural” cycle for fire in chaparral is about every ten years. Urban encroachment, and yes objection to prescibed fires making smoke has led to problems there too. But these fires are no longer “normal” and climate change is the biggie. BTW,my first big fire was Bel-Air in 1961, helped out a friend who was with LA County fire department.