Highsnobiety

The West Coast is on fire right now. Record-shattering wildfires have been raging across California, Oregon, and Washington for weeks. Caused by an extreme heatwave, the fires have burned 3.9 million acres of land, destroyed over 3,000 homes, and killed 30 people. According to CNN, they are still weeks away from a potential end.

The raging flames are a glaring reminder of the catastrophic magnitude of the climate crisis. They are also a reminder to vote. In the first Presidential debate, Donald Trump was asked by moderator Chris Wallace whether "human pollution [and] greenhouse gas emissions" contribute to global warming. Trump replied with a dig at Californian forest management. "I think, to an extent, yes. But I also think we have to do better management of our forests. If that was cleaned, if that were - if you had forest management, good forest management, you wouldn't be getting those calls."

Here’s everything you need to know about the crisis, and how you can help those who are currently being affected.

What’s causing the wildfires?

High temperatures, dry conditions, lightning, paired with strong winds that fuel the flames means that California is particularly susceptible to wildfires. But often, the blame lies with us. In general, 95% of fires in the state are caused by human activity: The El Dorado Fire in Southern California's San Bernardino County, which has scorched 10,574 acres, was sparked mid-September by a pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party.

What about climate change?

Indeed, climate change and global warming are at the root of the problem. Rising temperatures are causing fires to become more common and severe. The area affected by wildfires in California has increased by 500 percent since the '70s, and it's only getting worse.

According to UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain, due to human-caused climate change, temperature extremes are climbing higher, meaning the vegetation is drier, which affects fire behavior. Despite the shocking impact of the wildfires, Swain doesn't expect conditions to improve soon for California and other Western states. "Climate change has not just made the extreme heat waves that coincided with the fires worse. The bigger effect is the more subtle, long-term warming," he said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom echoed this concern. “CA has invested more in wildfire prevention than any time in our history. But it’s not enough. We need action at EVERY level. CA cannot do this alone," he wrote on Twitter.

How can you help?

There are several funds where you can donate to help victims of the wildfires and help support the thousands of firefighters putting their lives on the line.

You can donate to the American Red CrossCalifornia Fire Foundation, and The Salvation Army.

The United Way of Northern California offers emergency grants to those who have lost their homes as a result of the fires.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is also accepting donations to support firefighters and paramedics who are on the frontline.

You can also help those affected by donating to Save the Children, whose emergency response team and local program staff are mobilizing to deliver critical emergency relief supplies to children and families in Central Valley, California, and southern Washington.

Former President Barack Obama has also issued an important reminder that the best way to enact real change in the fight against climate change is to make your voice count in the coming elections. Taking to Instagram he wrote, "the fires across the west coast are just the latest examples of the very real ways our changing climate is changing our communities. Protecting our planet is on the ballot. Vote like your life depends on it — because it does."

We Recommend
  • chore coats workwear jackets
    The Chore Coat is Where Workwear Peaks
    • Style
  • luxury fashion summer sales
    Here Are the Best Luxury Fashion Summer Sales That Are Still Going
    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety
    Here's What Went Down At Our Milano Design Week Wrap Parties
    • Design
  • men's chains
    Here's What Your Chain Says About You
    • Accessories
    • sponsored
  • loewe drain
    Loewe Made the Best Coat of the Season, Let That Sink in
    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety
What To Read Next
  • BAPE x Highsnobiety Offers a Full Matching Uniform
    BAPE x Highsnobiety Offers a Full Matching Uniform
    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety
    Beyoncé’s Rick Owens Boots Might've Won the 'Renaissance' Tour
    • Style
  • bally ss24
    At MFW, Bally Struts Into Its Bellotti Era
    • Style
  • bottega veneta ss24
    Your Bottega Veneta Dinner Has Been Served
    • Style
  • Prada SS24
    Prada's SS24 Women's Show Was Another Slimy Affair
    • Style
  • brent faiyaz sambas
    Get a Load of Brent Faiyaz's Wavy Sambas
    • Sneakers
*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit consent. You can object to the use of your e-mail address for this purpose at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic tariffs. Each newsletter contains an unsubscribe link. Alternatively, you can object to receiving the newsletter at any time by sending an e-mail to info@highsnobiety.com

Web Accessibility Statement

Titelmedia (Highsnobiety), is committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of its Website, www.highsnobiety.com. Titelmedia strives to ensure that its Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, Titelmedia has engaged UsableNet Inc, a leading web accessibility consultant to help test, remediate and maintain our Website in-line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also bring the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible some issues can be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied.

Contact Us

If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on this Website, please contact us at accessibility@highsnobiety.com, +49 (0)30 235 908 500. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that page or the information contained therein accessible for you.