Study confirms California's worst wildfire fears

A new study from the respected National Academy of Sciences confirms our worst fears about California’s increasingly deadly wildfires. Climate change — and not natural climate variability — is now the primary driver of wildfire risk and will likely continue to plague California and other western states in the future. "This change," the authors conclude, "requires urgent and effective societal adaption and mitigation responses." The study should put to rest the argument that California's weather simply goes through cycles and that the state will experience a return to normal conditions in the y...