COTW: Hot Enough?

One of the predicted outcomes of global warming is increased and larger wildfires. This chart shows the undeniable correlation. A published study in the on-line journal PNAS concludes that burned areas in California have increased by 172% in climate model simulations during the period 1971 to 2021.  The increase is even greater, 320%, for the period 1996-2021.  Recent heavy rains may help reduce this fire season, but further increases in burned area are expected by the researchers. The ten largest wildfires in California's history have occurred in the last twenty years. 

Not all wildfire increases can be attributed to climate change.  Aging electrical infrastructure has proved to be responsible for some major fires in California and Oregon.  The Camp fire, which wiped out the town of Paradise, was started by faulty transmission lines. The electrical utility PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The giant utility still operates in California; another example of "too big to fail".  Since 2015, an audit report concludes, that six of the twenty most destructive fires were caused by faulty electrical infrastructure.