LA Times reveals 2020 CA Wildfire CO2 erased 18 years of state emissions cuts – Is it up thanks to that?

“California’s nearly two-decade effort to cut their planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions may have been wiped out by a single devastating wildfire year.”

The paper notes that “researchers estimate that about 127 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent were released from the fires, compared with about 65 million tons reduced 18 years earlier.”

The Times article provides the usual climate alarmist hyperbole that “climate change” is to blame for the increased wildfire damage in California, noting:

“Forests have long played a role in that system, with large trees sequestering carbon and helping to reduce some of the emissions. But the new California variety about fires caused by climate change It is hotter and faster than before, the researchers say, sometimes slowing regrowth and even converting some areas from conifers to grasslands, shrubs and chaparrals. “

However a year 2021 previous article WUWT addresses the fact that 2020 wildfire emissions could wipe out the state’s AB 32 emissions reductions and also addresses in detail the major state government forest management failures that have contributed to fire development State forests and increased risk over the past decade with these serious failures hidden from view in the Times article. This WUWT previous post notes:

“California’s climate alarmists claim ‘climate change’ is the cause of this wildfire outcome, but one California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) 2018 expanded report presents clear and convincing evidence that decades of state mismanagement of forests have in fact created the growing bushfire crisis.

The LAO report notes that an increased fire risk is present throughout California due to forest conditions that have been allowed by the state for decades.”

Provided below are some highlights (or highlights) of state government forest management failures that have directly led to increased wildfires and risks unrelated to “gas change.” back” as mentioned in the LAO analysis of the states and presented in the previous section of the WUWT Article.

The need for mechanical thinning of forests and regulated burning was mentioned as follows in the LAO report:

The LAO report noted the state’s failure to deal with large numbers of dead and edible trees as follows:

“In addition to increasing fire risk, forest overcrowding and related competition for resources can also make forests less resilient to other stressors. For example, trees in dense areas become more susceptible to disease — including invasion by pests such as beetles — and less tolerant of water shortages caused by drought.

This vulnerability has emerged in recent years, with an estimated 129 million trees in California’s forests dying between 2010 and 2017, including more than 62 million in 2016 alone. A relatively small percentage of the more than 4 billion trees in the state, but historically, about a million California trees will die in a typical year. Furthermore, most of the deaths occurred in concentrated areas. For example, the Sierra National Forest has lost nearly 32 million trees, accounting for an overall mortality rate of between 55% and 60%. When dead trees fall to the ground, they add flammable dry fuel to fires, as well as pose a risk to public safety when they fall on buildings, roads and power lines. “

The LAO report mentioned how the previously described failures contributed to the increased wildfire growth rate of state forests and the risks to be aware of:

Failure to address increased demand for declining logging also contributes to states’ increased wildfire risk, with the LAO report noting:

“These trends are due to a variety of factors, including changes in state and federal logging policies. For example, several federal laws were passed in the 1970s that shifted USFS’s forest management goals away from production forestry and toward ecosystem conservation and management. Those laws include the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)—which requires federal agencies to evaluate any actions that could have a significant effect on the environment—and the Endangered Species Act. level — prohibits federal agencies from taking actions that could adversely affect a species listed as threatened or endangered. Environmental protection policies also contribute to the reduction of private harvests among other factors”.

The Times article confirms the fact that California wildfire emissions in 2020 have wiped out states in 18 years of hugely costly efforts to reduce emissions. It also suggests that the state should continue these efforts in the future with even more drastic goals.

Such absurd hype completely ignores the complete irrelevance of California, the US, or the EU or the UK in doing anything to reduce global emissions by developing nations across the globe. The world controls global energy use and emissions, and these emissions will increase to billions of meters. tons regardless of what climate alarmists know.

Since 2003 as mentioned in the Times article to measure when to start cutting the state’s global CO2 emissions has increased by more than 8.1 billion tons with developing countries are responsible for more than 10.6 billion tons Emissions increased (compared to California’s 67 million tons with no state wildfire emissions) during this period. The combined efforts of the US, UK and EU during this period saw a reduction of around 2 billion tons with this massively costly reduction making absolutely no sense on a global scale while doing so. increase energy costs, lower energy reliability and bring the devastation to UK and EU economies that Biden and the Democrats are bringing to the US

What a bunch of crap.