Search

LA Residents Say Fossil Fuel Industry Needs to ‘Pay Up’ for Damage From Wildfires

We are an online community created around a smart and easy to access information hub which is focused on providing proven global and local insights about sustainability

20 Jan, 2025

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

Survivors of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires are calling for lawsuits and policies to hold those most responsible for global climate disasters accountable, reported The Guardian.

Increasing evidence shows that oil and gas companies have known for decades that fossil fuels are the cause of global heating, but they have continued to market their products while spreading doubt about climate change.

“It is hard to properly express how much was lost,” said Palisades resident Danielle Havanas, whose home was destroyed by last week’s fire, as The Guardian reported. “How do you communicate the value of your deceased mom’s journal from 1981 when she was pregnant with you?”

University of California, Los Angeles, climate scientists have already concluded that the climate crisis was most likely the cause of a quarter of the dry conditions that fueled the rapid spread of the fires.

The Palisades section of Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 12, 2025. Qian Weizhong / VCG via Getty Images

“[I]t should not continuously fall in us to address the consequences of big oil’s negligence,” said Altadena neighborhood resident Sam James, whose grandfather lost his home in the Eaton fire. “They must take responsibility for the harm that they’ve caused, pay reparations to the affected communities who lost their homes and businesses, and take immediate steps to mitigate further damage.”

California and other states, along with some cities, have brought lawsuits to hold big oil accountable and force them to foot the bill for damages.

“We’re already paying for big oil’s climate destruction, not just with money, but with our lives, so that’s why we need our own climate superfund bill,” said Clara Vondrich, senior policy counsel at nonprofit Public Citizen, of a new version of legislation originally considered by California last year.

On Thursday morning, dozens of climate activists with Sunrise Movement LA protested outside a Phillips 66 oil facility, while 16 demonstrators stormed the Lubricant Terminal’s office building, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Sunrise Movement LA is demanding that oil companies “pay up” to help with wildfire relief and support the state’s clean energy transition.

“Fossil fuel CEOs are responsible for the destruction that is happening right now in Los Angeles,” said 18-year-old Simon Aron, a volunteer with Sunrise Movement and action lead for the protest, as the Los Angeles Times reported. “They are responsible for the fact that me and my neighbors had to evacuate our homes, that we still can’t drink our water.”

Police escorted some of the demonstrators out, but no arrests were made.

“The group that was inside decided to step out,” said Kidus Girma, Sunrise Movement national organizer, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. “The plan is to continue holding space and seeing if other possible occupations begin in the state.”

Sunrise Movement LA planned to keep protesting at the facility through Thursday, until their demands were met or the CEO of Phillips 66 agreed to meet with them.

According to fire experts, Southern California wildfires are becoming more destructive for multiple reasons, including increased development in high-risk areas, as well as a “feedback loop” where native plants don’t have enough time to regrow between fires, which opens the land for more flammable, fast-growing invasive vegetation to spring up.

Following the Eaton and Palisades fires, bipartisan leaders criticized city officials for problems with water pressure and lack of preparedness.

At least 25 people have died in the fires, which left 23 still missing, burned over 27,000 acres and are not yet 100 percent contained.

The post LA Residents Say Fossil Fuel Industry Needs to ‘Pay Up’ for Damage From Wildfires appeared first on EcoWatch.

Pass over the stars to rate this post. Your opinion is always welcome.
[Total: 0 Average: 0]

You may also like…

Land water loss causes sea level rise in 21st century

Land water loss causes sea level rise in 21st century

An international team of scientists, led jointly by The University of Melbourne and Seoul National University, has found global water storage on land has plummeted since the start of the 21st century, overtaking glacier melt as the leading cause of sea level rise and measurably shifting the Earth’s pole of rotation.

Published in Science, the research combined global soil moisture data estimated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) Reanalysis v5 (ERA5), global mean sea level measurements and observations of Earth’s pole movement in order to estimate changes in terrestrial (land) water storage (TWS) from 1979 to 2016.

“The study raises critical questions about the main drivers of declining water storage on land and whether global lands will continue to become drier,” University of Melbourne author Professor Dongryeol Ryu said.

“Water constantly cycles between land and oceans, but the current rate of water loss from land is outpacing its replenishment. This is potentially irreversible because it’s unlikely this trend will reverse if global temperatures and evaporative demand continue to rise at their current rates. Without substantial changes in climate patterns, the imbalance in the water cycle is likely to persist, leading to a net loss of water from land to oceans over time.”

Between 2000 and 2002, soil moisture decreased by around 1614 gigatonnes (1 Gt equals 1 km3 of water) — nearly double Greenland’s ice loss of about 900 Gt in 2002–2006. From 2003 to 2016, soil moisture depletion continued, with an additional 1009 Gt lost.

Soil moisture had not recovered as of 2021, with little likelihood of recovery under present climate conditions. The authors say this decline is corroborated by independent observations of global mean sea level rise (~4.4 mm) and Earth’s polar shift (~45 cm in 2003–2012).

Water loss was most pronounced across East and Central Asia, Central Africa, and North and South America. In Australia, the growing depletion has impacted parts of Western Australia and south-eastern Australia, including western Victoria, although the Northern Territory and Queensland saw a small replenishment of soil moisture.

Image credit: iStock.com/ZU_09

In Vivid Reliquaries, Stan Squirewell Layers Anonymous Portraits and Patterned Textiles

In Vivid Reliquaries, Stan Squirewell Layers Anonymous Portraits and Patterned Textiles

Through intimate, mixed-media collages, Stan Squirewell excavates the stories of those who might otherwise be lost in anonymity.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article In Vivid Reliquaries, Stan Squirewell Layers Anonymous Portraits and Patterned Textiles appeared first on Colossal.

0 Comments