Dr. Max Moritz, UC Cooperative Extension, UCSB, April 28, 2021

What Experts Say:

“Climate change is producing hotter, drier conditions in the American West, which contribute to more large wildfires and longer wildfire seasons.” — Union of Concerned Scientists
 
“Things are getting worse. It’s more urgent than ever to proceed with mitigation.” — Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization
 
“Climate-related natural disasters are becoming more frequent, more deadly, more destructive, with growing human and financial costs.” 
                 — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
 
“What we’re seeing with some of the most dangerous fires is that they’re spreading quickly, burning very hot or producing their own weather.” — Daniel Swain, Climate Scientist, UCLA 
 
“To stem the escalating loss of life and property, Syphard and other experts argue the state needs to curb development in high fire-hazard zones, help homeowners ember-proof their houses and do a better job of enforcing defensible space regulations.”
—  Research Scientist Alexandra Syphard, Los Angeles Times
 
Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist, said, “The destruction occurs as a result of more people living closer to fire-prone areas. We’re putting more people in harm’s way.”