Since I can't just call Al Gore and ask him if there is a link between the extensive California wildfires and global warming, I did a little research, and sure enough, there seems to be a connection.
Obviously, California has something of a "fire season" nearly every year, so that's not what necessarily marks global warming. What is starting to happen, though, is the cycle of extremely wet seasons, that cause an overgrowth of chapparral (scrubby brush). The chapparral then dries out and becomes extremely flammable, so when the Santa Ana winds come barreling down the canyons, it's all over.
Since 1987, researchers have found that the length and severity of the normal wildfire season has increased dramatically. Just so you know, researchers in other parts of the world have found similar results and have noted much higher average temperatures in their regions, to boot.
Of course, there has to be a cause for a fire to begin. Arson is a suspect in these fires. But the conservative pundits would have you believe that global warming has nothing to do with what is going on in California. In their simplistic little minds, they just can't grasp the enormity of the connection, or they simply hate Al Gore so much that they refuse to grasp reality. It's pathetic, really. Listen to his rant for yourself:
Wow, it didn’t take long for you to jump on the global warming bandwagon. At least, wait until the smoke clears next time.
So let me get this straight…wildfires, floods, hurricanes, etc. didn’t happen 100 plus years ago? The Dust Bowl in the 30s? Maybe you should pay attention to the record high and low data and see there were temperature extremes back in the 1800s when they started keep track of this data. I am sick and tired of every weather or weather-related disaster being linked to global warming by the left.
California is and always has been a disaster-prone state…fires, mudslides, earthquakes…so people roll the dice every time they build a house there. Coupled with dry conditions (it is partially a desert, after all), high winds and a lit cigarette butt (or, God forbid, a crazed arsonist), you’re taking a big risk just to enjoy some nice year round weather.
Yes, global warming exists but let’s put it in proper perspective. Just like the extreme right has put the fear of terrorism in our daily lives, the extreme left has does the same with global warming. And kudos to Al Gore. I give him all the (carbon) credit in the world for seizing this opportunity and using his Hollywood friends to make millions from it. Brilliant!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 25, 2007 9:29 AM | Permalink to Comment