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U.S. NEWS Saturday 24 November 2018

Government climate report warns of worsening US disasters

Continued from Front agriculture. of rising seas and severe cal and granular. gases are released into
“Climate change is trans- storm surges, which will low- “All climate change is lo- the atmosphere, the report
The recent Northern Califor- forming where and how er property values. And in cal,” said Pennsylvania warns.
nia wildfires can be attrib- we live and presents grow- some areas, such as parts State University climate sci- Outside scientists and of-
uted to climate change, ing challenges to human of Alaska and Louisiana, entist Richard Alley, who ficials from 13 federal
but there was less of a con- health and quality of life, coastal flooding will likely wasn’t part of the report agencies wrote the report,
nection to those in South- the economy, and the nat- force people to relocate. but praised it. which was released on the
ern California, said co- ural systems that support “We are seeing the things While scientists talk of av- afternoon following Thanks-
author William Hohenstein us,” the report says. we said would be happen- erage global tempera- giving.
of the U.S. Department of That includes worsening air ing, happen now in real tures, people feel extremes It was originally scheduled
Agriculture. “A warm, dry pollution causing heart and life,” said another co-au- more, he said. “We live for December. The report
climate has increased the lung problems, more dis- thor Katharine Hayhoe of in our drought, our floods often clashes with the presi-
areas burned over the last eases from insects, the po- Texas Tech University. “As a and our heat waves. That dent’s past statements and
20 years,” he said at a press tential for a jump in deaths climate scientist it is almost means we have to focus tweets on the legitimacy of
conference Friday. during heat waves, and surreal.” on us,” he said. climate change science,
The report is mandated by nastier allergies. And Donald Wuebbles, a The Lower 48 states have how much of it is caused
law every few years and is “Annual losses in some eco- co-author from University warmed 1.8 degrees (1 by humans, how cyclical
based on more than 1,000 nomic sectors are project- of Illinois climate scientist, degree Celsius) since 1900 it is and what’s causing in-
previous research studies. It ed to reach hundreds of said, “We’re going to con- with 1.2 degrees in the last creases in recent wildfires.
details how global warming billions of dollars by the end tinue to see severe weath- few decades, according Trump tweeted this week
from the burning of coal, of the century — more than er events get stronger and to the report. about the cold weather hit-
oil and gas is hurting each the current gross domestic more intense.” By the end of the century, ting the East including: “Bru-
region of the United States product (GDP) of many U.S. What makes the report dif- the U.S. will be 3 to 12 de- tal and Extended Cold Blast
and how it impacts differ- states,” the report says. It’ll ferent from others is that grees (1.6 to 6.6 degrees could shatter ALL RECORDS
ent sectors of the econo- be especially costly on the it focuses on the United Celsius) hotter depending - Whatever happened to
my, including energy and nation’s coasts because States, then goes more lo- on how much greenhouse Global Warming?”q

What makes a California wildfire the worst? Deaths and size

By JOHN ROGERS, into account several statis- still reported missing, the
Associated Press tics, including not only lives death count is likely to rise.
The so-called Camp Fire in lost and homes destroyed The state’s second-dead-
Northern California in many but other buildings burned liest wildfire, Los Angeles’
ways has become the and the amount of forest, 1933 Griffith Park blaze,
worst wildfire in the history timberland and brush laid killed 29 people, most of
of a state whose topogra- to waste. them workers hired under a
phy and climate have long A look at what makes for Depression-era Works Prog-
made it ripe for devastat- the worst wildfire and where ress Administration pro-
ing blazes. the most recent blaze falls gram to widen roads and
With terrain ranging from in those categories: build trails in the sprawl-
steep, tree-topped moun- DEADLIEST CALIFORNIA ing wilderness park on the
tains to dry, brush-covered WILDFIRES edge of downtown Los An-
hillsides, and matched with The Camp Fire, which de- geles. In this Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 file photo smoke hangs over the
a climate that frequently stroyed the historical min- Those workers had no ex- scorched remains of Old Town Plaza following the wildfire in
varies from light rainy sea- ing town of Paradise, is the perience fighting fires and Paradise, Calif. Authorities say the fire is 95 percent contained
sons to drought years, Cali- most deadly in state history, no water readily available Thursday, Nov. 22.
fornia has been home to with 84 fatalities as of Friday, when flames erupted. They Associated Press.
deadly, destructive wild- according to statistics from became trapped in a can- the densely populated hill- firefighters thought they
fires since record-keeping the California Department yon when they tried to stop sides of Oakland, trapping had contained, only to see
began in the early 20th of Forestry and Fire Protec- it with shovels and their feet people in homes and on it roar back to life when
century. tion. It’s also the deadliest by stomping on hot spots. narrow, winding streets. This smoldering embers ignited
Figuring out just how bad in the U.S. in a century. The Tunnel Fire of 1991 killed third-deadliest wildfire be- other brush as fierce winds
a wildfire is requires taking With hundreds of people 25 when it roared down gan as a small blaze that erupted.q