So sorry you lost your community Ruth. Climate change denialism will lead to more destructive events. Maybe when those "in charge" face a devastating event for themselves will they see the light.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your hometown. I also lost those memorable places in Santa Barbara's many fires and now, here in Chico, wildfires, caused by climate change, are frequent and terrifying. I am just going to keep saying, "climate change." I'm just going to persist as Rev. Al Sharpton said. Thank you, as always, Dr. Ben-Ghiat.
I'm sorry for all your losses, Annie. I went to school at UCSB but never was able to really get in tune with Santa Barbara, apart from the college. I have a sister who lives near the top of "civilization" (I use that word advisedly), in Tujunga, and wildfires there are a natural phenomenon, in addition to all the disasters caused by climate change. Good to follow the Rev's advice. I will, too.
Dearest Ruth Ben-Ghiat. I am sorry to hear of the devastating loss of Palisades. People's history and future have been wiped out in an instant. The climate change deniers will not stop the insanity until we fightback to the best of our ability - with our votes, our voices, our actions.
I am sorry to hear that you have lost so much of your historical environment. I grew up in Santa Monica, but never knew that there were wild areas in Pacific Palisades. My sister's late husband grew up in Pacific Palisades, and I'm glad for him that he doesn't have to live with that destruction. I am hopeful that my community, even though it's in a red state will come together during the crises ahead. We did when a bigot drove all the way from Dallas to shoot up one of our local Walmart stores. So that's one place I see hope for the future. What makes me saddest about the climate denialism and greed of so many CEOs and other rich people is, in addition to what happens to people, is what happens to the wildlife of our planet. Encounters with wildlife and interesting plants is how I get my emotional sustenance.
Many things in the Trump presidency are unpredictable. What is predictable, is that climate change will only worsen and more catastrophic weather-events will occur. It’s another sad reality that will most likely have a zero-net effect on the vast number of Trump followers; they’ll deny “climate change” even while their own homes get clobbered by some weather event. This will be one of the most concerning issues during these next four years that humankind will be facing, and the Trump presidency will only make things worse. Much worse.
I lived in the palisades a while ago and loved hiking, going to the beach down a flight of stairs… many memories and friends in the area. So sad for the tremendous loss of this community.
Truly terrifying and sobering. I am very sorry to hear of the loss of places close to your heart, and of course so many people’s current homes. Thanks for the reminder that these moments can sow seeds of empathy and solidarity. Here’s hoping.
Terrible, terrible devastating fires for so many. Lives being ripped apart for so many. My sister who lives on one of the alphabet streets (I asked her if she knew you, she didn't) also lost everything but they got out witheir lives intact so I feel very fortunate about that indeed. Such a lovely area now look like a war zone. So very sad:(
At some point most of the climate deniers will face reality and clamor for sustainable energy solutions. But Americans have been conditioned to expect "quick solutions" and still think technology can solve everything. It has taken decades to get where we are now, and reversing the damage caused by fossil fuels is going to take decades (or longer).
Jimmy Carter foresaw many of the environmental and social problems we face today, but was pilloried by the press and "very smart people" as being weak and ineffective. And now we are about to experience another four years of Trump and "drill baby drill" that will set us back even further. We absolutely need to work together and help each other, but we also need more courageous leaders who know how to use the bully pulpit for good rather than greed.
My deepest condolences for the loss of your childhood community, Ruth.❤️ I was in Pasadena visiting my kids when the fires started. We evacuated to safety and so far their home is still there but they cannot go back until the air is no longer dangerous. The devastation is immense and is absolutely heartbreaking. Unfortunately, there will be more of this. We must find ways to mitigate and to prepare. 🙏🏼
I am grieved at these recurring wildfires, and that they have now ruined your hometown, Ruth. It seems that very few of us are remaining untouched by nature's disruptive force and I remain very angry that those with means to do very selfish things cannot feel pity to help not just their fellow humans, but the innocent wildlife we are destroying.
You can’t, you just have to get out of the way. Those winds are so high it’s limiting the majority of aircraft’s ability to fly and drop retardant and water where it’s desperately needed. None of these fires are even remotely contained. I just read an update that now over 200,000 people have been evacuated. 2,000 structures lost, even beachfront homes on the water. It’s that dry. Fire insurance is going to skyrocket nationwide. I wonder how many claims will actually be filled, and will home insurance become what we see in health insurance denials and red tape?
Serious problems need serious people to solve them. The rest of the world is taking necessary steps to deal with climate change. At some point we will, or are already losing our nations competitive edge. What good is our education and technology if we refuse to use it to deal with a threat as imminent as climate change? Republicans can go put their heads in the sand, but their ass is still gonna burn.
Climate scientists warned us that these sort of things would happen. The Palisades fire reminded me so much of the Maui fire, the Paradise fire and the fires in Australia. We were told about extreme flooding in some areas but extreme dryness in others. We were told about exaggeratd weather, and they were right.
🙏. We must stand together 😢
So sorry you lost your community Ruth. Climate change denialism will lead to more destructive events. Maybe when those "in charge" face a devastating event for themselves will they see the light.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your hometown. I also lost those memorable places in Santa Barbara's many fires and now, here in Chico, wildfires, caused by climate change, are frequent and terrifying. I am just going to keep saying, "climate change." I'm just going to persist as Rev. Al Sharpton said. Thank you, as always, Dr. Ben-Ghiat.
I'm sorry for all your losses, Annie. I went to school at UCSB but never was able to really get in tune with Santa Barbara, apart from the college. I have a sister who lives near the top of "civilization" (I use that word advisedly), in Tujunga, and wildfires there are a natural phenomenon, in addition to all the disasters caused by climate change. Good to follow the Rev's advice. I will, too.
Dearest Ruth Ben-Ghiat. I am sorry to hear of the devastating loss of Palisades. People's history and future have been wiped out in an instant. The climate change deniers will not stop the insanity until we fightback to the best of our ability - with our votes, our voices, our actions.
I am sorry to hear that you have lost so much of your historical environment. I grew up in Santa Monica, but never knew that there were wild areas in Pacific Palisades. My sister's late husband grew up in Pacific Palisades, and I'm glad for him that he doesn't have to live with that destruction. I am hopeful that my community, even though it's in a red state will come together during the crises ahead. We did when a bigot drove all the way from Dallas to shoot up one of our local Walmart stores. So that's one place I see hope for the future. What makes me saddest about the climate denialism and greed of so many CEOs and other rich people is, in addition to what happens to people, is what happens to the wildlife of our planet. Encounters with wildlife and interesting plants is how I get my emotional sustenance.
I feel just this way too!
Condolences, Ruth, for the utter destruction of your home town.
What Mansur said ^
Many things in the Trump presidency are unpredictable. What is predictable, is that climate change will only worsen and more catastrophic weather-events will occur. It’s another sad reality that will most likely have a zero-net effect on the vast number of Trump followers; they’ll deny “climate change” even while their own homes get clobbered by some weather event. This will be one of the most concerning issues during these next four years that humankind will be facing, and the Trump presidency will only make things worse. Much worse.
I lived in the palisades a while ago and loved hiking, going to the beach down a flight of stairs… many memories and friends in the area. So sad for the tremendous loss of this community.
Truly terrifying and sobering. I am very sorry to hear of the loss of places close to your heart, and of course so many people’s current homes. Thanks for the reminder that these moments can sow seeds of empathy and solidarity. Here’s hoping.
Terrible, terrible devastating fires for so many. Lives being ripped apart for so many. My sister who lives on one of the alphabet streets (I asked her if she knew you, she didn't) also lost everything but they got out witheir lives intact so I feel very fortunate about that indeed. Such a lovely area now look like a war zone. So very sad:(
At some point most of the climate deniers will face reality and clamor for sustainable energy solutions. But Americans have been conditioned to expect "quick solutions" and still think technology can solve everything. It has taken decades to get where we are now, and reversing the damage caused by fossil fuels is going to take decades (or longer).
Jimmy Carter foresaw many of the environmental and social problems we face today, but was pilloried by the press and "very smart people" as being weak and ineffective. And now we are about to experience another four years of Trump and "drill baby drill" that will set us back even further. We absolutely need to work together and help each other, but we also need more courageous leaders who know how to use the bully pulpit for good rather than greed.
The climate change deniers that I have spoken with are stuck in a mental rut, where I am doubtful that they will ever see reality.
As we recognize that "we are united in our shared precarity", it becomes ever more obvious to remember that "solidarity is our superpower".
No matter how much power they have right now, we outnumber them by the billions.
My deepest condolences for the loss of your childhood community, Ruth.❤️ I was in Pasadena visiting my kids when the fires started. We evacuated to safety and so far their home is still there but they cannot go back until the air is no longer dangerous. The devastation is immense and is absolutely heartbreaking. Unfortunately, there will be more of this. We must find ways to mitigate and to prepare. 🙏🏼
Mike Pompeo is an idiot. The best containment strategy for Russia is a frozen Arctic Ocean. But we know Mike’s biggest donor/supporter, Charles Koch.
Charles Koch, another dangerous sociopath who is anti-democracy.
I am grieved at these recurring wildfires, and that they have now ruined your hometown, Ruth. It seems that very few of us are remaining untouched by nature's disruptive force and I remain very angry that those with means to do very selfish things cannot feel pity to help not just their fellow humans, but the innocent wildlife we are destroying.
“How do you fight a wild fire in 100 mph winds?
You can’t, you just have to get out of the way. Those winds are so high it’s limiting the majority of aircraft’s ability to fly and drop retardant and water where it’s desperately needed. None of these fires are even remotely contained. I just read an update that now over 200,000 people have been evacuated. 2,000 structures lost, even beachfront homes on the water. It’s that dry. Fire insurance is going to skyrocket nationwide. I wonder how many claims will actually be filled, and will home insurance become what we see in health insurance denials and red tape?
Serious problems need serious people to solve them. The rest of the world is taking necessary steps to deal with climate change. At some point we will, or are already losing our nations competitive edge. What good is our education and technology if we refuse to use it to deal with a threat as imminent as climate change? Republicans can go put their heads in the sand, but their ass is still gonna burn.
Climate scientists warned us that these sort of things would happen. The Palisades fire reminded me so much of the Maui fire, the Paradise fire and the fires in Australia. We were told about extreme flooding in some areas but extreme dryness in others. We were told about exaggeratd weather, and they were right.