United States of America

Firefighters Killed Battling Colorado Wildfire

Are worsening wildfires an urgent climate crisis or the result of poor land management and human settlement?

Published 2 hours ago

Firefighters Killed Battling Colorado Wildfire

Story

Above: Firefighters in Marin County train during a prescribed burn in San Rafael, Calif. on June 17. Image credit: Heather Diehl/Getty Images

The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Climate change is turning the West into a tinderbox, and three dead firefighters on the Colorado-Utah border prove the cost of ignoring it. Record-low snowpack, the warmest winter on record and historic drought created conditions even veteran firefighters say they've never seen before. Wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive, and that trajectory won't reverse without confronting the root cause head-on.

Ben Ray Luján on X The New York Times

Shining Science on X

Climate-skeptic narrative

It's summer in the U.S., so heatwaves and wildfires will inevitably occur. It's vital to keep in mind the myriad reasons that destructive fires take place, including human settlement patterns and poor forest management. Ascribing climate change as the root cause of every fire disaster is unhelpful alarmism that distracts from more sound policies.

New York Post