Mazie Hirono attributes Maui fire to climate change; some states avoid discussing it.
Sen. Mazie Hirono Blames Climate Change for Deadly Hawaii Fire
During a recent interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) passionately attributed the devastating fire in Hawaii to climate change. She expressed her frustration with those who deny its existence, referring to them as having a “head-in-the-sand attitude.”
Hirono’s remarks came in the wake of the tragic fire in Maui, which has already claimed the lives of at least 93 people, with the death toll expected to rise further.
“We must acknowledge that climate change is a reality,” Hirono emphasized. “It’s disheartening to see that there are still states where the words ‘climate change’ are taboo due to this head-in-the-sand mentality.”
According to a report by USA Today, numerous scientists believe that the significant increase in fires in Hawaii can be attributed to unmanaged, nonnative grasslands planted by individuals unfamiliar with the island’s native ecosystems. These grasslands are dry and highly susceptible to fires.
“There is no doubt that fire-prone grasses have invaded drier Hawaiian ecosystems and brought larger, more intense fires,” stated Peter Vitousek, a professor at Stanford University.
While the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, officials have pointed to low humidity and strong winds, intensified by a Category 4 hurricane south of the islands, as major contributing factors to the rapid spread of the flames.
The Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, a non-profit group, reports that approximately 0.5% of Hawaii’s total land area burns each year, surpassing any other US state in terms of proportion. Furthermore, over 98% of wildfires in Hawaii are human-caused.
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