LA fire misinformation campaign goes into hyperdrive

As firefighters, we can see that human induced climate change is making fire seasons longer and more intense.

However, during big fires where there is lots of media coverage and commentary on social media, such as the current ones that are devastating large areas around Los Angeles, right wing and conservative commentators seek to control the public narrative and downplay links to climate change.

The misinformation campaign around the LA fires is especially intense, with key conservatives like Donald Trump, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk claiming that the link to climate change is over stated. Some of this commentary is deranged and damaging. For instance, Elon Musk posted that “DEI means people DIE”. In a now-deleted post, he agreed with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ claim that the fires are part of “a globalist plot to wage economic warfare” and deindustrialize the United States. Mel Gibson even questioned whether the terrible fires may have been ‘commissioned’ in order to move people off valuable property (this is a frequent theme of some conspiracy theorists – that disasters like hurricanes are being engineered in order to remove people from their land. For instance, after Hurricane Helene, claims were made that that politicians manipulated the weather to target Republican areas and that the government was trying to force people to leave their homes so it could seize land in North Carolina to mine lithium). The misinformation is amplified locally in Australia through outlets like the ‘Sky After Dark’ programs.

There are several dominant narratives coming from conservatives, including claims that:

• the fires are the result of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) polices of the LA fire department.Of course, attacks on DEI are really just thinly veiled attacks on women and minorities.
• the California government decided to priortise a native fish species over the need to have water for fire fighting.
• environmentalists are to blame because they had stopped fuel reduction burning or other land management that would have reduced the intensity of the fires.
• that there is a ‘globalist’ agenda seeking to force people from their homes and that the fires were created for this purpose.
• early during the disasters, there were various claims that the fires were the result of homeless people starting fires.

In times of crisis we need to stick together and do what needs to be done. That means getting on with fighting fires. We send our best wishes to our colleagues in California who are fighting these terrible fires, and all the crews that have been assisting – from Mexico to Canada.

Speak up

As firefighters we know the link between climate change and longer and more intense fire seasons.

We need to speak up and challenge this disinformation wherever we see it. People trust us because of our experience in fighting fires and our commitment to defend our communities from harm.

Please challenge the misinformation and disinformation where ever you can.

We have created a list of resources which may assist you in this work.

This list created: JAN 8, 2025. You are welcome to send us items for inclusion: cam.walker@foe.org.au

Podcasts

The Hotshot wake up. We would not normally promote this podcast due to the hosts tendency to down play the climate / fire link. However this episode goes through some of the worst disinformation and conspiracy theories around the fires and is worth a listen.

https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/p/california-wildfire-update-debunking

Pod Save America. The current episode of this Democratic party aligned podcast delves into the reality of the fires and tackles some of the claims made by Donald Trump.

https://crooked.com/podcast/as-la-burns-trump-plays-politics/

The climate / fire connection

As noted by researchers from Melbourne University (link):

Globally, wildfire seasons are getting worse with climate change, resulting in more frequent, more severe and larger wildfires.

The recent LA fires are emblematic of fire behaviour changing in unexpected ways. These fires, occurring during winter and outside the traditional fire season also follow an extremely hot summer and prolonged drought in California.

While the winds driving the LA fires are not uncommon, the lack of precipitation preceding them was extreme and similar drought events are likely to become more frequent as climate change intensifies. As these conditions become more frequent, we can expect that wildfire regimes are going to change.

Resources and stories on climate change and fire:

• The Wildfire climate connection (focus on western USA). This article is from the NOAA.
• Yes, Climate Change is Raising the Risks — and Stakes — of Extreme Wildfires. Article here.
• Six Facts About Water and Wildfire in the West. (Article here).
• Fact check: Could brush clearance have prevented the Palisades Fire? Quote from story: “The bottom line is the winds far outweigh the fuel in terms of fire spread in a situation like this,” said Jon Keeley, fire ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
• How recent wildfires have primed Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains for more frequent blazes. (Article here).
• LA’s wildfires sparked by rare collision of climate factors. (Article here).
• Southern California is experiencing a midwinter drought at the same time as dangerous Santa Ana winds sweep through. (Article here).
• L.A. Fire Hydrants Offer Lesson in Climate Change Preparedness. (Article here).
• Southern California is extremely dry. (Article here).

• A ‘do nothing’ approach won’t help Australia deal with bushfires as the climate gets hotter

  ‘While the winds driving the LA fires are not uncommon, the lack of precipitation preceding them was extreme and similar drought events are likely to become more frequent as climate change intensifies. As these conditions become more frequent, we can expect that wildfire regimes are going to change’. (Article here).

• Yes, Climate Change is Raising the Risks — and Stakes — of Extreme Wildfires

  ‘A warming climate with dry forests and shifting weather patterns is fueling severe wildfires with unprecedented impacts. There’s still time to act’. (Article here).

Putting the blame back on the conservatives/ tackling misinformation

It is shameful that public figures like Donald Trump have attempted to gain political points by attacking the Democratic governor of California, and that conservative commentators have used the disaster to attack their political opponents.

ABOVE: this is the sort of nonsense being platformed by the night time programs on the Murdoch owned Sky News network.

• A Bay Area fire tracking app is saving lives in L.A. — and clapping back at Elon Musk. (Article here).
• Scientists Say Musk Wrongly Downplays Climate Role in L.A. Fires. (Article here).
• In utterly unsurprising news, Maga blames diversity for the Los Angeles wildfires. (Article here).

As Los Angeles Burns, Conspiracy Peddlers Lie About—and Celebrate—the Danger We’re Living Through

As Los Angeles Burns, Conspiracy Peddlers Lie About—and Celebrate—the Danger We’re Living Through

• 44 Republicans Voted Against Forest Management Wildfire Prevention in December. (Article here).

• Why right-wing influencers are blaming the California wildfires on diversity efforts. (Article here).

ABOVE: this cartoon sums up the wilful anti science delusion and paranoia of much of the right.

The Australia / LA connection

• LA fires spark calls for greater Australian stand-alone aerial firefighting fleet. (Article here).
• Fire seasons are becoming a global threat. (Article here).
• How will Australia cope when fires hit urban areas? (Article here).