(CNN) Wildfires continue to rage across the West Coast. California’s Dixie Fire is now the second-largest blaze in the state’s history. This as a new climate report reveals the earth is warming faster than previously thought, and the window of avoiding catastrophic outcomes is closing.
More than 100 large wildfires are burning across 15 U.S. states, leaving devastation in their wake and forcing people to evacuate.
Retired firefighter Joe Waterman said, “It’s pretty emotional, just thinking of all your neighbors and your friends, you know, are that are frantic trying to move all their animals and everything.”
California’s Dixie Fire is the largest fire, burning for 26 straight days, scorching close to half a million acres. That also makes it the second largest fire in the state’s history.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “The dries are getting a lot drier, the hots are getting a lot hotter. The extreme weather conditions, extreme droughts are leading to extreme conditions and wildfire challenges, the likes of which we’ve never seen in our history.”
The U.S. isn’t alone in battling wildfires. In Greece, more than 1,000 firefighters are battling dozens of blazes. Thousands had to evacuate to safety.
This as a landmark report from the UN confirms without a doubt that climate change is making weather events like wildfires and floods more extreme. The report says it’s “unequivocal” that humans are causing the climate crisis. And the only way to avoid catastrophic change is to make deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
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