GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

NATURAL HAZARDS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Southern California has had the worst year on record for wildfires on record in 2017. What environmental cause most likely increased the chances of wildfires catching and spreading in the area?
A
drought
B
hurricanes
C
landslides
D
earthquakes
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Climate change, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires not only in California but also all over the world.

Detailed explanation-2: -Investigation. Based on the investigation by CalFire, it has been found that Pacific Gas & Electric equipment was the cause of all of the individual fires except for the Tubbs Fire.

Detailed explanation-3: -Climate change is considered the main cause for the increase in the number and severity of wildfires in California over the past decade. However, the problem can also be linked to three other major factors, which are both natural and man-made.

Detailed explanation-4: -Carbon pollution from California’s 2020 wildfires erased 16 years of the state’s greenhouse gas emission cuts, according to a new UCLA study. “What happened in 2020 was basically like a new sector; a new sector of emissions just came out of nowhere, ” said study co-author Amir Jina, a University of Chicago professor.

Detailed explanation-5: -Damage Caused by a Season of California Wildfires. Fanned by the Santa Ana winds in the south and the Diablo winds in the north, California wildfires killed 40 people, burned over a million acres, and caused one billion dollars in losses in 2017.

There is 1 question to complete.