New Climate Attribution Study Shows that Big Oil Set the Stage for LA Fires
LOS ANGELES — Climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels contributed to the hot, dry, and windy conditions that set the stage for the wildfires in Los Angeles this year, according to a new analysis by the World Weather Attribution. Aaron Regunberg, accountability project director for Public Citizen’s Climate Program, issued the following statement:
“The horrific Los Angeles fires are not ‘natural’ disasters. Climate change set the stage for this catastrophe, significantly increasing the chances that the sparks that started these fires would turn into the raging conflagrations that destroyed so many lives and homes across the region.
“These climate effects are the direct, foreseeable—and, in fact, foreseen—consequences of a small number of fossil fuel companies. Big Oil knowingly generated a huge portion of all the greenhouse gas emissions that contributed to this crisis, and fraudulently deceived the public about the dangerousness of their products in order to block and delay solutions that could have ameliorated this catastrophe.
“We have a concept in the law for when someone consciously disregards a substantial risk of causing harm to another person: criminal recklessness. That’s why, while the losses from these fires are unspeakably tragic, they aren’t just tragedies—they’re crimes, and their victims deserve justice from the Big Oil companies responsible. It’s time for all of our public officials—our state legislators, our local councilors, our county prosecutors, and everyone in between—to act accordingly, and to ensure that the costs of rebuilding are borne by the oil and gas industries significantly driving the problem and not the residents who have already lost so much.”
Additional Resources:
- Testimony of Altadena resident and fire survivor Sam James
- Testimony of Palisades resident and fire survivor Danielle Levanas
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