A single, devastating California fire season wiped out years of efforts to cut emissions, a potentially critical step to combating the warming of the planet, according to a new government report.
The Interior Department issued a draft report on Monday that found that the effects of climate change could be felt in every state by 2039 unless significant steps are taken to curb carbon emissions.
Under the Paris climate accord, the government is obligated to cut greenhouse gasses at the fastest rate possible and by at least 2030 — or by 2020, as specified by the international agreement.
By 2030, the planet is projected to warm by at least 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, from pre-industrial levels.
The report, a draft of which was issued in February, said the impacts of climate change are already beginning to manifest in parts of the country, including California, where fires are raging and residents are bracing for further damage.
In California, at least 10 of the state’s 37 counties, including Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, are under a threat of fire. Officials are bracing for more blazes: A single brush fire burned through portions of those counties to the north and a second that appeared to be more destructive broke out on Monday near Redding.
Climate change has already made California more vulnerable to fire season because of higher nighttime temperatures, more erratic precipitation and higher wind speeds, according to the report, released by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management.
“This time is even more challenging than past fire seasons,” the report said.
The agency predicted that more intense fire seasons in California are occurring.
In California, the high cost of firefighting and the vulnerability of homes make the state much more susceptible to fire.
A single fire season can wipe out years of efforts to cut emissions, a potentially critical step for combating the warming of the planet, according to a new government report.
The Interior Department issued a draft report on Monday that found the effects of climate change could be felt in every state by 2039 unless significant steps are taken to curb carbon emissions.
Under the Paris climate accord, the government is obligated to cut greenhouse gasses at the fastest rate possible and