LA Fires Were Larger And More Intense Because Of Planet-Warming Pollution, Study Suggests | N18G

The fires that have ravaged Los Angeles over the past week were larger and burned hotter than they would have in a world without planet-warming fossil fuel pollution, a new analysis suggests.Climate change could be blamed for around 25% of the fuel available for the fires, according to the rapid research from scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles. The report is clear in saying the fires likely still would have occurred in a world without climate pollution, but it concludes they would have been “somewhat smaller and less intense.”The result raises the question of whether the fires could have been controllable were it not for the fire-fueling effects of climate change. The UCLA scientists refer to their analysis as a “starting point” for deeper studies.Show more