California’s Wildfire Climate Excuse

Gov. Newsom tilts at carbon emissions, not fire mitigation

WSJ editorial. Excerpts:

"The theory is that climate change caused two especially wet winters in California in 2023 and 2024. This led to lush vegetation growth. Perhaps you recall the ebullient stories about the blooming desert and wildflower explosion. But in recent months, the theory goes, climate change has also caused a dry spell that has turned that vegetation into tinder for fires. Ergo, “hydroclimate whiplash.”

So climate change explains wet and dry seasons, which follows the progressive line that climate change is responsible for every natural disaster except for perhaps earthquakes. In today’s climate orthodoxy, bad weather is always man-made."

"California’s climate has long been variable with dry years following wet ones."

"130 or so years. There are wet and dry spells. The last couple of decades have had more dry years, but then so did the 1910s and 1920s when carbon emissions were far less than they are today."

"variable rain and snowfall patterns in California are to be expected. Fires will occur as a result. Rather than blame the climate for wildfires, the obligation of public officials should be to prepare for them"

"His [Gov. Gavin Newsom] proposal skimps on wildfire prevention while boosting spending on Medicaid, green energy and payoffs to the teachers’ unions." 

"his budget for the coming fiscal year cuts the CAL FIRE’s “resource management” program by half from 2023 to $466.5 million. He plans instead to pay for $325 million in spending on wildfire and forest resilience with a $10 billion “climate bond” that voters approved in November. This is intended to free up general fund revenue for other spending."

"None of this spending will mitigate future fires, droughts or floods or have any impact on global temperatures."

"Mr. Newsom’s budget increases general fund spending on Health and Human Services (mainly Medicaid) by $9.7 billion and failing K-12 schools by $4 billion compared to last year. His budget last year included $2.6 billion for “forest and wildfire resilience”—far less than the $14.7 billion provisioned for zero-emission vehicles and “clean energy.”"

"Democrats in California perennially underinvest in water storage and land management. Then when catastrophic fires, water shortages or floods happen, Democrats blame climate change"