Clyde Burnett, Peak to Peak. The newly released Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol II, really hit the fan on TV talk shows. They focused on how climate change will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century. The report summary gives concise statements of global warming effects. I recommend that you give it careful attention.

The November 23, 2018 CNN Opinion by Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, titled “Trump’s failure to fight climate change is a crime against humanity,” is a clear indictment of the U.S. administration’s present policy on climate change I highly recommend that you give it your vocal and print support.

News and pictures of the California wildfires have been sickening.

Thousands of homes have been destroyed and dozens of residents killed.

The Santa Ana winds with dry adiabatic heating of 5° F/1000 feet elevation drop have been the usual factor to dry the fuel of forests and homes, and we have years of climate change warming and extremes of weather. The extreme of wind velocity accelerated the drying, and the transport of embers for advancement of the fires was a major factor against fire control. We have an expanding season of wildfires and climate change disasters.

Wildfire smoke is a health hazard as well, and includes complications including death. There are the widespread particulates, and incomplete combustion produces methane. In the presence of solar ultraviolet with organics, tropospheric ozone, is produced, also a health hazard. Schools, hospitals and assisted living facilities need air cleaners.

The election revealed little new interest in government mitigation of global warming. Florida had more to deal with regarding skin color than problems like Hurricane Michael. Fortunately, we did vote to increase support to our local volunteer fire departments.

I have to wonder if California’s wildfire problems register worries on the Front Range. Our mountains lack the Santa Ana winds, but we have upslope situations, such as during the Black Tiger and Four Mile Fires, with loss of homes. We too have the climate change of increased CO2 emissions. These events demonstrate global warming and the uncertainties of extreme weather. We could have rain or drought, and our mountains are warming a bit extra. We have the warming feedback of the reflectivity loss of early melting snow. We have the warning of the California example; now is the time to prepare.

I believe important expansion of local mitigation efforts such as solar gardens, rooftop solar, etc., will help, but is not enough to matter to civilization. So, I am focused on adapting to the continuing global warming and the unpredictable extreme weather we will face. Adaptation may be good enough for us and for our children, but will be negligible for our grandchildren and descendants. Still, expansion of adaptation efforts will become increasingly necessary for survival and economics in the near future. While personal attention to defensible space may help firefighters save your home, we are facing prospects of large fires that will generate winds and destroy all our homes and businesses which should influence future developments.

So, I suggest that we do some advance community organization for defensible space and forest management. How do we conserve our forest water? Do we need to have canyon floods? How do we encourage stands of aspens? How do we eliminate ladder fuels? How do we reduce fuel but preserve beauty?

We need to analyze past efforts for the above factors. Specific plans need the advice of our fire department workers and the CSFS for forest health. How about an organization now for planning and scheduling?

(Originally published in the December 20, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)