We live in the “Pyrocene” era: the age of fire. Supercharged Santa Ana winds, record high temperatures and drought have fueled the current wildfire crisis. There is death in Los Angeles County, tens of thousands have been displaced and countless homes are reduced to ashes.
In the far north of our state, massive fires have torn through rainforests where Climate Change burned off the region’s protective layer of fog and mist.
As with increasing hurricane devastation in Florida, and massive flooding in many other states, insurance losses mount. Our insurance premiums continue to rise — if coverage is even available.
We are in the midst of natural disasters caused by Climate Change. The burning of fossil fuels is the main culprit. Profits for ExxonMobil officers and shareholders continue to grow, while we pay the price.
ExxonMobil seeks to restart oil production off Santa Barbara and, via its creation called Sable Oil, ship it in the same pipeline that caused a catastrophic spill 10 years ago.
The U.S. is already the world’s biggest producer of oil and gas. No new production is needed. Unless we actively favor a clean energy economy over the short-sighted mercantile interests of Big Oil, wildly destructive weather events will only escalate in frequency and ferocity.
Our County Planning & Development folks must do more thorough, creditable and rigorous reviews of proposals pushed by Big Oil. And if County Supervisors Bob Nelson and Steve Lavagnino would truly work in the best interest of constituents, we could all navigate Climate Change with less calamitous damage and with less onerous insurance premiums for us all.