The Wildfire Crisis
Last year, the Dixie Fire burned almost a million acres. It was the second largest fire in California’s history. In 2020, wildfires swept across 10 million acres in the western US, killing dozens, destroying 10,000 structures, and causing $15 billion in property damage. Thousands of firefighters risked their lives to fight the fires. The 2019-2020 fire season in Australia was a warning that the problem can worsen worldwide. Almost 50 million acres burned, driving some species to extinction, and emitting 300 million tons of CO2.