I was looking through your paper to see if there is any mention of climate change in the coverage of your very devastating fires. I’m not seeing it.
Oddly, in coverage of the other areas elsewhere with natural disasters such as fire, mudslides, storms, mega rainfalls and floods, there is virtually no coverage of the main cause.
These disasters are increasing in scale and frequency. It appears that local, and national, sources of news coverage are simply afraid to include climate change as the cause. Instead, the blame falls on a tossed cigarette or a bolt of lightning. Papers and TV must be afraid of a backlash and loss of business.
The mountain west has made its living off of real estate sales and development in the forest-urban interface. The result has been unbridled growth. That growth is the exact reason for the increased temperatures and the exposure to risk of burning.
What is it going to take before we face the facts and act accordingly?
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
