Los Angeles "The City of Stars" is now Facing Wildfires
What Else Do We Need to End Climate Change?
Climate change continues to be a multifaceted problem that we often neglect. We often care about short-term concerns where the poor fear affording daily bread, while the rich worry about stock portfolios and business expansions, and rarely think about the impacts of our actions. Yet here is what can waste all human effort: climate change.
Innumerable impacts, and the untold stories
This week, the devastating Los Angeles wildfires have shocked the world. Despite being a symbol of global glamour and wealth, Los Angeles is now a battleground against raging firestorms. Celebrities like Milo Ventimiglia, Billy Crystal, Anthony Hopkin, and many others have reportedly lost their properties to the flames (Business Insider, 2024). Thousands of ordinary people have also been displaced, their homes reduced to ashes. As of now, more than 25 lives have been lost, and over 37,800 acres have been consumed by fire (L.A. Times, 2024 ; CNN, 2024). The ongoing catastrophe continues to spread, leaving grief and destruction.
The human toll is immeasurable. Families have been separated, and communities destroyed. The poor, who had little to lose, now face the monumental task of rebuilding their lives. For every headline about a mansion engulfed in flames, there are countless untold stories of modest homes and small businesses gone forever. Who can count plant and animal species that will extinct due to such a storm? It is a complete loss.
What is the Government's response?
The government’s response has been swift but inadequate in the face of such magnitude. Emergency services are working tirelessly to contain the fires and provide relief to the affected, but resources are stretched thin. Temporary shelters have been set up, and federal aid has been deployed, yet the scale of the devastation makes it clear that reactive measures alone are not enough.
What should we know about this fire?
The Los Angeles wildfires are not an isolated incident. Prolonged drought, higher temperatures, and poor land management all exacerbated by climate change have created a perfect storm, and this is just a grim preview of what other cities around the world could face if we fail to act. The World Meteorological Organization has warned that extreme weather has now become a norm. The planet is predicted to become hotter in the coming years if nothing is done. The cities such as California and Mediterranean cities like Athens remain more prone to experience wildfires.
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How much longer can we afford to wait?
We must demand immediate action to mitigate climate change. We should aim to:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, foster green investment, shift to renewable energy, improve land and forest management, and create fire-resilient communities in the YEAR 2025.
EVERYONE is a part of this process, whatever contribution is necessary for this goal to be attained. If we want to thrive on this planet with our loved ones, this is the only choice we have: GOING GREEN NOW!
THE CHALLENGE:
Now it turns to you, here's the challenge:
?HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY THRIVE AMIDST THE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUE IN THE YEAR 2025? (Mention your ideas in the comments, and thank you).
May God save Los Angeles.
Sources:
4. United Nations (Aug 18, 2023) Scorching ‘new normal’ as world buckles under extreme heat: WMO