Bans on Burning and Fireworks are also a Climate Story

Today's front page stories about the burn ban, fireworks ban, and red flag warning fail to place the events in our ongoing climate crisis.

Front page today

They frame the increased fire danger and subsequent bans as some mysterious thing, contrary to the trend from winter and early spring, and perplexing.

The upgrades [in fire danger forecast] follow an extremely hot and dry late spring and early summer across the state, with long-term forecasts predicting more of the same for the rest of the summer and into autumn.

Despite a snowy winter — and some signs of a moderate start to fire season — the excess moisture has quickly dried up.

Who could have predicted it?!

July 3rd

Well, the paper has been full of stories, albeit buried on interior pages and supplement pages.

July 1st

July 1st

Yesterday

Writers and editors make some connections, but leave too many implied, and do not make them fully explicit.

The bans on burning and fireworks occur in a context where our climate changes make them more probable and more frequent. 

Even with wet and snowy winters.

No meeting in July

The Climate Action Plan Committee, already meeting only every other month, has cancelled the meeting for July. Maybe with vacations and Council already looking at right-priced parking downtown, a major recommendation from the Climate Action Plan, maybe there truly is nothing to do this month. 

But there is so much yet to do on our unfolding climate emergency.

Previous notes on the Climate Action Plan and Committee here.