This post has been revised to reflect the most accurate data on fire acreage in the 1980s. The original relied on data from the NIFC for 1980–1983 and the updated version excludes this period, as the data are less reliable. The 1980s statistics now reflect data from MTBS and CalFire.
In the first two weeks of September 2020, average solar-powered electricity generation in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which covers 90% of utility-scale solar capacity in California, declined nearly 30% from the July 2020 average as wildfires burned across the state.
Fires blazing across the Western United States have claimed dozens of lives, destroyed countless properties, displaced hundreds of thousands of residents, and worsened air quality at a time when the coronavirus pandemic threatens respiratory health.
As the fires on the US West Coast grow more intense, and as thousands flee their homes, one has to wonder — are we unable to perceive the climate’s warning signs or are we, as a species, truly this parasitic?
California is on fire. Those living near the affected areas have seen drastic color changes in the skies as well as ash falling on everything.
Amazon, based in the United States, recently committed to greening German cities — as in, planting a lot of trees and bushes there. Now, Volkswagen, based in Germany, is reforesting Australia. Passing it along, you might say? (We may ask now, what is Atlassian doing for the United States to green it?)
As we grapple with the potential reality of compound crises, each extracting significant tolls, now is the time to examine how an emerging technology like autonomous vehicles (AV) can help respond to and mitigate this and future crises.
The inevitable collision of wildfires and COVID-19 keeps me up at night. Not in an abstract sense, but more in a requires-allergy-meds-to-sleep type of way. Too many people are suffering already due to COVID-19, and the quickly approaching wildfire season, worsened by climate change, is going to make things so much worse.
In many places, the heat waves of summer have begun, with record high temperatures making spring pass by in a flash. Around the corner are large storms, which clear out the air and sun but also more than that, often taking homes and life with them. What does the rapidly warming ocean waters mean in this calculus? Quite a lot.
New satellite data shows that the Amazon rainforest is drier than usual and could be at risk of fires this year.
