Opinion | No more smoke signals after being scorched

Mady Dever, Opinions Editor

Ever since these scorching summer heat waves began, it’s felt like the world is ending. I step outside in a laughable attempt for a breath of fresh air and sunlight after sitting behind a computer screen all day for school, only to be met with intense heat, the smell of a massive campfire and ashes flying through the air – the closest thing to snow Southern California will ever see.

I took a brief drive to run some errands in Los Angeles, armed with my mask and hand sanitizer because, let’s not forget, we are also battling a pandemic. Now, in addition to preparing for catching a disease every time I leave my house, I’m also checking the weather app for air quality, UV index and temperature – all of which have been poor lately. That’s the world we’re living in now. On my drive last weekend, it was 115 degrees outside, I witnessed two fires in my neighborhood and I arrived home to a broken air conditioner; my house was 95 degrees inside. I hope no one on my Zoom call noticed my rosy cheeks and sweating.

In the words of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, "If you are in denial about climate change, come to California." These absurd temperatures broke records in many areas across Los Angeles – and to think we aren’t far off from breaking the all-time world record of 134 degrees in Death Valley, California, is pretty scary. It even feels like it could only be a few summers away.

As every Californian knows, wherever the heat waves go, fires follow. According to The New York Times, “six of the 20 largest wildfires in modern California history have occurred this year.” And the state has seen 3.3 million acres burned as of Sep. 13, the highest recorded number than any other year. Many Chapman seniors can recall the terrifying fires that burned 7,500 acres near Orange in 2017 as students had to evacuate smoke-filled dorms. This was the worst fire that Orange County saw this decade. Seeing how this is a year of breaking records, why would we think Orange can’t see something like this once again?

This stuff is really scary, and it’s hard to envision over 4 million football fields to compare just how massive these numbers truly are. And that puts the conversation into very simple terms, because right now, it’s hard to digest the truly astounding events of this year. The world has been so upended to the point that we’re becoming more and more desensitized with each horrible news headline. Our reason: denial and downplaying are coping mechanisms.  

Our planet has been sending us smoke signals for years and we haven't been listening. 

My Instagram feed is full of posts about how horrible 2020 is, and yes, I think we can all admit that 2020 has been a horrifying whirlwind. But in terms of climate change, the simple year of 2020 had nothing to do with this destruction; it’s been caused by decades of politicians and the general public disregarding or diminishing the significance of climate change. 

I’m not a scientist or an economist deciphering the cost-benefit analysis of certain projects and initiatives, so I can’t say whether or not it’s too late to remedy the situation. But one thing is for certain: We can no longer ignore the fact that our homes, our memories, our livelihoods, are burning in front of us while we indirectly fuel the flame.