Environmental Glance
Trump’s action, hours after he was sworn in to a second term, echoed his directive in 2017, when he announced that the U.S. would abandon the global Paris accord. The pact is aimed at limiting long-term global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels or, failing that, keeping temperatures at least well below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels.
Trump signs order to withdraw US from Paris climate accord in flurry of executive actions
California wind forecast worsens as red flag fire weather warning expected on Monday
As firefighters in Los Angeles made progress on Sunday containing wildfires that have destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods, forecasters warned that fire weather is likely to return on Monday.
Donald Trump told NBC news he plans to travel to California to inspect the damage after his inauguration, “probably, at the end of the week”. California governor Gavin Newsom had initially invited the president-elect to visit more than a week ago, even as Trump attacked him on social media and spread misinformation about the state’s Democratic leadership response to the fires.
'A new wildfire paradigm': Why California fires are growing larger and more destructive
In a state that averages more than 7,500 wildfires a year some California homeowners keep helmets and fire hoses handy.
However, the Los Angeles fires demonstrate a new reality: Wildfires in the state are growing larger and more ferocious and burning into suburbs and cities more often, experts told USA TODAY.
“We really are dealing with a new wildfire paradigm,” said Faith Kearns, a water and wildfire expert with the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.
People are used to thinking of fire in terms of either structure fires or wildfires in rural areas, but in recent decades, the lines have blurred. More intense wildfires burn into neighborhoods where flames quickly spread from cars and homes, Kearns said. "That becomes “a very, very different kind of fire to fight, and also a very difficult kind of fire to fight.”
LA wildfires: evacuees warned against returning to homes due to toxic waste
As the battle against the deadly fires in Los Angeles county enters its 10th day, officials are warning evacuees against returning to their homes due to the presence of toxic, hazardous waste and exposed power and gas lines.
During a Thursday press conference, Yonah Halpern, principal engineer with LA county public works said that toxins such as asbestos, and mercury can be found in fire debris and that the US Environmental Protection Agency and county fire department will be going house-to-house to assess and remove hazardous materials at no cost to the property’s owner.
The extreme winds behind the disastrous fires in Los Angeles are forecast to calm the rest of the week into the weekend, making it easier for firefighters to further efforts to put out the massive Palisades and Eaton fires that have been ablaze for over a week.
Trump energy chief pick says linking wildfires to climate crisis is ‘hype’
Donald Trump’s nominee for energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing criticism for disputing the ties between climate change and more frequent or severe wildfires, the Washington Post reports, a stance that is contrary to scientific consensus.
During Wright’s US Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Democrats, including the California senator Alex Padilla, challenged Wright over past comments, pointing to a LinkedIn post calling wildfire concerns “hype” and dismissing their connection to climate policies.
Padilla accused Wright of downplaying the real and deadly effects of wildfires. When the senator asked whether Wright stood by those comments in light of the catastrophic blazes in his home state, Wright responded that he believes that climate change is a global phenomenon and that he stands by his past comments.
Death toll rises to 25 amid new Los Angeles warnings and thousands still under evacuation orders
At 4pm the Los Angeles county medical examiner’s office confirmed the death toll from the wildfires ravaging the area has risen to 25.
Meanwhile, Brice Bennet, deputy state fire marshal, shared an update via X on Tuesday afternoon saying that the mountains of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties will be under a red flag warning from 10pm Tuesday to 12pm on Wednesday. Bennet said:
The National Weather Service has issued their highest level of warning, called a particularly dangerous situation. Damaging winds with gusts between 55 and 70 miles per hour are expected across the affected areas through Wednesday morning. The winds have already begun to increase in Southern California and are expected to peak early this afternoon. These conditions create a high risk for large, rapidly spreading fires, extreme fire behavior and long range spotting.
LA winds to intensify; officials 'grid searching' for fire victims: Live updates
The winds could threaten the incremental progress firefighters made over the weekend with multiple fires. The winds that had eased somewhat Sunday, allowing firefighters and rescue crews to begin gaining some control, were forecast to return later Monday, with coastal winds reaching 40-50 mph.
The National Weather Service's Los Angeles office highlighted Red Flag Warning areas in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties that received the rare "particularly dangerous situation'' designation, saying those are for "the extreme of the extreme fire weather scenarios.'' The Red Flag Warnings for a larger stretch of Southern California are in place from Monday through Wednesday morning.
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