Climate Change (part I): Age of mega-fires

[jpak]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/336685_fired.html

Today, California's burning. Tomorrow, who knows? The wildfires and the unprecedented evacuations are a phenomenon that is likely to grow across the West as unchecked climate change wreaks havoc with temperature and precipitation patterns.

As with hurricanes, science won't tell us whether global warming causes any specific fire. But the evidence about the trend is clear.

Earlier this year, a study in Science found hotter, drier temperatures have increased the number of Western forest fires, their size and the period of each year when fires were a threat. On CBS' "60 Minutes" last weekend, study co-author Tom Swetnam said the long-term effects of frequent, huge fires could kill half of the forests. CBS aptly titled the piece, "The Age of Mega-Fires."

So far, California's response seems to be better than anything in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. But the longer-term burden on Californians, emotionally and physically, is going to be huge. Federal taxpayers will also carry a good deal of extra load.

<more>