by ABBI DAVIES
WEBSITE MANAGER
and LORELEI BURKE
STAFF WRITER
Scorching summers are common in Southern California, but what happens when these extreme temperatures continue well past the start of school? Triple-digit temperatures hit most of Southern California in early September, breaking records from Long Beach to Palm Springs. Even at night, temperatures remained above 70 or even 80 degrees.
These dangerously high temperatures led heat-related emergency-room visits to double throughout California in the first week and a half of September, with more than 400 heat-related cases per 100,000 visits, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The ratio is likely even higher, as heat-related illnesses are often undercounted because, according to UCLA professor David Eisenman, patients’ symptoms are not commonly linked to their root cause: heat.
This extreme heat wave also led to mass power outages, as the widespread, constant use of air conditioning strained the power grids. The city of Pasadena even implemented rolling blackouts, cutting off power to more than 8,000 residents for over an hour on Sept. 6. This fall heat wave is also to blame for the massive wildfires taking place throughout Southern California. Chadwick Environmental Sciences teacher Tori Fay described this causal relationship: “These plants haven’t had any water in five months, and when it gets to that point, the hot, dry air sucks any remaining moisture out of [the plants] and makes them really prone to fire.”
Fires have been ravaging California, with twelve fires currently active in California alone. These fires, so far, have caused one civilian death, with firefighters struggling to contain the blazes. These fires have also impacted the air quality in areas around California. The biggest danger of the smoke from the fires is particulate matter, which, if inhaled into the lungs, can cause severe lung and heart damage. These fires are also harmful to ecosystems. According to Fay, these fires, which help spread seeds and support regrowth, can cause extreme damage if they occur too frequently.
She said that the recent fires have led to out-of-control burning of trees and plants, destroying new growth and harming ecosystems, rather than rejuvenating them. These fires can be prevented, but most experts believe that it would require massive amounts of change in our society. When humans move into an area, the risk of fire goes up significantly, no matter the protective measures they take. Even if humans try to reduce the amount of campfires or clear dead brush, the very presence of humans exacerbates wildfires in that area. Says Fay: “These fires bring up a controversial idea: Should we live everywhere?”
The question of where humans choose to live has been more highly debated recently, with higher-risk areas finding it hard to get home insurance. Insurance companies are wary to ensure homes, and the risk of these fires makes their prices drop. Thanks to these dropping prices, more Americans are settling in wildfire-prone areas despite the risks. Since climate change is more prevalent in areas around the United States, high-risk areas seem more commonplace and less of an outlier.
The Mainsheet 