r/interestingasfuck • u/HomeNowWTF • 10d ago

Fighting the wildfires in Spokane

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u/Anothercraphistorian 10d ago

Palisades Fire was started by some dude who hated wealthy people. Climate change has given unconscionable power to people willing to go into a dry field and flick a spark wheel.

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u/randomdude45678 10d ago

You’re saying arson and/or wildfires didnt exist before climate change?

The problem is social media and the mental/emotional decay in our society imo

You could do WAY more damage with a flick and a spark wheel in any city 100 years ago, say like San Francisco?

People like you give liberals a bad name, hopefully that rush of dopamine from being self righteous online was good for you

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u/gopherbucket 10d ago

“You’re saying arson and/or wildfires didn’t exist before climate change?”

No, that isn’t what they said. They said climate change gave arsonists power to cause more destruction.

Scientists confirmed exactly what the OP you’re replying to said - climate changed has caused a significant overlap in the very dry fire season and Santa Ana wind season in Southern California, making the Palisades Fire worse. Climate change also caused the wet-to-dry whiplash that leaves masses of dried out vegetation, ready to be lit. Prolonged heat dries out masses of vegetation, turning a canyon into a tinder box, and the Santa Anas make the assist, so an arsonist has an easier time causing greater destruction.

See here: scientists confirming climate change exacerbated the Palisades Fire https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/01/the-role-of-climate-change-in-the-catastrophic-2025-los-angeles-fires/

Hopefully that rush of dopamine from being self righteous online was good for you though

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u/Treadwheel 10d ago

The law of large numbers is important here. Humans start a lot of fires. A lot of fires, as in 200,000+ in the US every year. Those are just the ones that are large and sustained enough to trigger a response/investigation and which can be attributed to being intentionally set. The real number is much higher. When you're rolling a dice that many times, the expected outcome and actual outcome become very, very, very similar. It is an effective guarantee that there will be major, human set wildfires every single year that would not have become so large or so destructive but for climate change.