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President Joe Biden approved a federal disaster declaration for California, due to the historic fire season that plagues the state, intensified by extreme drought and heat, associated with climate change.
The president assured that the country is in a red emergency code due to the serious consequences caused by climate change , which have the greatest impact on minorities, such as Latinos.
But both the President and the Democratic leadership in Congress know that the only way to turn around and lessen the impact of change climate , is to approve and implement a bold climate action, based on decisive investments in clean energy and environmental justice, such as those included in the proposal Build Back Better .
Biden said last week that Wildfires, hurricanes and floods were hitting every part of the United States, with more of 800 million state Americans affected only this summer, as it pushes for resources to be invested to improve infrastructure and combat global warming, caused by climate change.
The effects of climate change are worsening in California
The devastating wildfire season is getting worse in the western United States by drought severe in a hundred years and record-breaking heat waves across the Northwest. The increased risk has prompted officials to reevaluate land use planning, forest management, emergency outreach efforts, housing and climate policies.
While wildfires are a natural part of the California landscape, the fire season in California and throughout the West begins earlier and ends later each year. Climate change is considered a key factor in this trend.
Warmer temperatures in spring and summer, lower snow cover and earlier spring thaw create longer and more intense dry seasons that increase moisture stress on vegetation and make forests more susceptible to severe wildfires. It is estimated that the duration of the fire season increased by 75 days in the Sierras and seems to correspond to an increase in the extent of wildfires across the state.
In California, the frequency of extreme forest fires that burn more than 25, 06 acres increase by nearly one 50% by the end of 2100 , and the average area burned statewide will increase by 77%.
Latinos, in particular, represent the 37% of people living in areas facing risks more extreme forest fires. In addition, Latinos are more exposed to particulate matter (PM2.5) from other sources, which increases its prevalence of respiratory conditions as asthma.
Biden noted that the management response recent forest fires is covered by the Build Back Better plan, which includes billions of dollars for wildfire preparedness, resilience and response ; forest management to restore millions of acres and protect homes and public water sources.
This bipartisan bill includes more than $ 8 billion to increase resistance to forest fires and includes measures to manage the environmental crisis created by climate change.