Regarding “How drought and Santa Ana winds set the stage for deadly California wildfires” (Weather, SFChronicle.com, Jan 9): The scientists quoted in the story correctly point out that wildfires are more common as a result of hotter and drier conditions brought about by the climate crisis.
What was not mentioned is the cause of the climate crisis: fossil fuels. Oil companies profited off the burning of fuels causing global warming and making fires more intense. They should pay for the damages. For the Los Angeles fires alone, the cost of the disaster could be $135 billion to $150 billion, according to Accuweather.
Last year, state Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Van Nuys) introduced the Polluters Pay Climate Recovery Act of 2024. This bill would have made fossil fuel companies pay their fair share of the climate damages they’ve caused but the legislation did not make it out of committee to the Senate floor.
Chronicle readers should urge their legislators to help bring this bill to the floor for a vote if it is reintroduced this year.
See full article: https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/letterstotheeditor/article/la-fires-climate-trump-musk-20032341.php