A climate communicator took time to calmly and specifically debunk a conspiracy theory making the rounds after devastating wildfires wreaked havoc in the Los Angeles area.
Summer Dean (@climatediva) shared the science-based takedown of the claims on Instagram a week after the sparking of the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed 6,831 structures.
The simultaneous Eaton Fire killed 17 people and destroyed 9,413 structures. It and other wildfires in L.A. were extraordinarily intense because of drought conditions and severe winds, among other conditions exacerbated by the changing climate.
The video starts with a clip of someone saying that "there is no way" the changing climate — which specifically relates to the rapidly rising global temperature — caused eight wildfires in Southern California in the span of 48 hours.
Dean put the blame on invasive species, chaotic rainfall, Santa Ana winds, and the wildland-urban interface. She also noted it's much easier to believe the disasters were caused by "some evil entity" rather than an ambiguous concept such as the climate crisis, which has been mushrooming for decades.
To understand why the fires were "uniquely intense," she said, "Let's learn some basic environmental science."
Dean first cited the chaparral landscape, or scrubland, of the region. This drought-tolerant vegetation, including sage and buckwheat, has evolved with wildfires. But invasive species, including ubiquitous eucalyptus, are not fire-resistant. These annuals also die every year, creating perfect kindling.
Additionally, L.A. gets about five inches of rain from October to January. But this season there wasn't a drop. Last year, record rainfall caused deadly floods and mudslides.
"Climate scientists call this weather whiplash, and it's one of the biggest observable effects of climate change," Dean said.
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Definitely 👍 She also said the changing climate is destabilizing the jet stream, possibly contributing to the 100-mile-per-hour-plus winds that helped the fires spread as quickly as 500 yards per minute.
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The other thing that made the fires so devastating is how many people live in risky fire zones.
"We are not planning our cities with respect for the land and the earth," she said. "For so long, humans have thought that we can dominate nature, and we just can't."
Dean called for planting native species, building fire-resistant homes, and using Indigenous wisdom to prevent future disasters.
"If we don't start living in harmony and unison with Mother Earth, we'll continue learning these lessons in very painful ways," she concluded. "It's time to heal our relationship with Mother Earth."
Here's how you can help those affected by the L.A. wildfires.
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