recent reports Politico and The Guardian To make a now-familiar but false claim: California’s wildfires, particularly the devastating events around Los Angeles, are evidence that the “climate crisis” is accelerating. The claims in these stories are false. The data does not show the wildfires are getting worse. These stories rely on oversimplified, attention-grabbing narratives that place blame on climate change without examining other key variables. Furthermore, they still make the fundamental mistake of conflating weather events with long-term climate change.
California's topography has evolved with fire over thousands of years. Long before industrialization, periodic wildfires swept through these ecosystems, clearing away excess vegetation and promoting biodiversity. This is not conjecture, but is well documented in history. Native American tribes understood this and used controlled burning to manage their land.
The problem today is not that there are fires in California, it’s that they always have been. The problem is that modern fire suppression policies disrupt this natural cycle. For much of the 20th century, aggressive efforts to put out all fires, combined with the abandonment of Aboriginal fire management techniques, allowed vegetation and brush to build up to dangerous levels. Other factors include shifts in forest management philosophy that have led to less logging, leading to forest overgrowth, fuel accumulation, and increasing migration of people into areas historically prone to wildfires. This excess of fuel creates the conditions for catastrophic fires, and the increase in population and all the buildings that come with it leads to greater tragedy and loss when fires occur. climate realism These facts have been discussed on several occasions, such as here , here , here , and here .
The media conveniently ignores this, preferring to view every wildfire as an apocalyptic harbinger of climate change. By failing to include this historical context, publications like this The Guardian and Politico Mislead readers into believing that wildfires are the “new normal” caused solely by greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition, the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identifies several factors cited by the media as “exacerbating” the fire situation. The IPCC said that these factors are not worsening and are not expected to occur with moderate changes in the climate. . See the table below and note the factors in the red box.
Stifling media claims of worsening drought, increased fire weather, and worse-than-normal wind phenomena like Santa Ana winds simply do not stand up to scientific scrutiny.
The expansion of cities into fire-prone areas also exacerbates the wildfire problem. The interface between wildland and city—where human development meets the natural landscape—is now home to millions of Californians. This expansion means more fire sources, from faulty electrical lines to bonfires, arson and more, and more buildings prone to catching fire.
For example, the Palisades fire mentioned in recent media reports began in an area with a long history of human activity that intersects with high-risk landscapes. Investigations revealed that the fire was likely man-made, possibly caused by faulty electrical wiring — a detail that could easily be hidden in the media’s climate-centric reporting. Cliff Mass is a respected atmospheric scientist who has written extensively about how human factors, rather than climate, are often the direct cause of such fires.
The media’s failure to acknowledge the role that population growth plays in recent wildfires is deeply irresponsible. The expansion of urban development into high-risk areas, combined with inadequate fire prevention measures, results in greater damage when fires occur. However, these factors rarely make the headlines. Why? Because they are inconsistent with the idea that climate change is to blame.
The policy failure that no one talks about is poor forest management.
Poor forest and land management is another key factor in California’s wildfires, but one that is often ignored by mainstream reporting. California's forests are overgrown and contain dangerously high levels of flammable materials. Controlled burning and mechanical thinning are proven ways to reduce this risk, but California has consistently failed to meet its forest management goals.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has touted California's “climate leadership,” but his administration and the U.S. Forest Service have quietly backtracked on targets for forest thinning, logging and prescribed burns. A report by Climate Realism details shortcomings in forest management in the state, leaving forests as ticking time bombs.
The media ignored this policy failure, rushing to blame it on a vague “climate crisis” rather than holding policymakers accountable for their negligence. How convenient.
It is undeniable that nature-driven climate change may affect certain environmental conditions, such as rising temperatures or prolonged droughts. However, attributing wildfires solely to climate change misses the bigger picture. Consider this: The total area burned by wildfires in the United States has actually decreased since the early 20th century, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center and a summary from Climate Overview.
Why didn’t this fact make front-page news? Because it contradicts the media’s preferred narrative. Wildfires in the past tended to be larger and more frequent than today.
Climate alarmists also ignore the critical role of weather change. For example, noted environmentalist and author Michael Schellenberg noted that many of California's recent fires were preceded by unusually strong wind events, such as the Diablo and Santa Ana winds. It is these natural phenomena, not climate change, that cause the most destructive fires.
What’s most galling about media coverage of the California wildfires is its selective focus and refusal to acknowledge uncomfortable truths. By blaming every fire on climate change, journalists are not only misleading the public, but actively undermining efforts to address the real causes of these disasters, encouraging bad public policy that puts people at risk.
Blaming climate change for wildfires is an easy way to avoid difficult conversations about land management, urban planning and personal responsibility. It enables politicians to deflect blame and activists to push for sweeping policies that often have nothing to do with wildfire prevention. In short, it's a cop-out.
The conclusion? The irresponsibility of the media is the real crisis.
By refusing to discuss the real causes of wildfires, such as Politico and The Guardian Together, they hinder meaningful action. Now is the time for journalists to do their job: report the facts, ask the tough questions, and hold policymakers accountable. Until then, they remain part of the problem, not the solution.
Anthony Watts
Anthony Watts is a senior fellow in environment and climate at the Heartland Institute. Watts has been in the weather business both in front of and behind the scenes since 1978 as a live television meteorologist and currently oversees daily broadcast forecasts. He created television weather graphics presentation systems, professional weather instruments, and co-authored peer-reviewed papers on climate issues. He runs the world's most viewed climate website, the award-winning wattsupwiththat.com.
Originally published in Climaterealism
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