The Real Prof. Katharine Hayhoe Profile picture
Sep 14, 2020 10 tweets 5 min read Read on X
This thread collects and addresses popular wildfire myths that are currently circulating the internet like ... wildfire. Please free to add to this thread @LeroyWesterling @johnfocook @PeterGleick and other experts.
Myth #1: the wildfires stop at the border.
Truth: By definition, maps based on US federal data don't show fires outside US borders; but it doesn't mean they don't exist. Here's a US map (left) and 🇨🇦 map (right). We do a bit better with recognizing we're part of a continent 😁 ImageImage
Myth #2: as there's less wildfires in Canada than the US *at the moment* that somehow proves climate change isn't real
Truth: Other times there will be more: that's weather, a single day, week or year. Climate is the long-term trend over decades. Watch:
Myth #3: wildfire can be EITHER arson or climate change but not both.
Truth: most wildfires in the lower 48 states are human-ignited but they are burning *much greater area* due to hotter, drier conditions + vegetation as a result of climate change. Image
Myth #4: the only reason wildfires are burning more area is because of poor forest management (and "raking" would fix that)
Truth: Forest management absolutely plays a role; but "raking" doesn't work and climate change is making it a lot worse. Read:
Myth #5: those alarmists claim climate change is responsible for things that have always happened naturally
Truth: climate change is - according to the US military - a threat multiplier. It takes naturally-occurring events and makes them WORSE. Watch:
Finally, for a thorough review of the myths about how climate isn't changing, or it is but it's the sun or volcanoes or natural cycles, see:
And for a global perspective on wildfire--since, as our 2009 PLoS paper showed, climate change may actually decrease fire in some ecosystems and that's not necessarily a good thing either (journals.plos.org/plosone/articl… )--read @CarbonBrief's excellent explainer: carbonbrief.org/explainer-how-…
Here's an addition on the arson myth - according to CalFire, 7% of California's large fires were known to be deliberate. The rest were primarily accidental human ignitions + some lightning and some unknown. sfchronicle.com/bayarea/articl…
Myth #6: the wildfires and/or the smoke and/or climate change is being caused by a secret military experiment
Truth: The only geoengineering happening right now is at miniscule scales and is well-documented. There are no secret expts.

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More from @KHayhoe

Dec 13, 2023
#COP28 wrapped up in the early hours today. Where do we stand? With a stronger mandate to tackle the root causes of climate change than we had before--but with much less than what we need to avoid "dangerous interference with the climate system" and meet our Paris goals. 🧵 Text reading: It's time to decide, which side of history will you choose to be on?
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the terms of the agreement provide about 30% what's needed to reach the 1.5C target. iea.org/news/iea-asses…
In other words, 30% of the gap in this figure has been bridged. For more, check out @climateactiontr climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-emi…
Emission gap to meeting the Paris 1.5C target
Read 16 tweets
Dec 3, 2023
There's lots of announcements and news coming out of #COP28. I'm here to rank them for you from a climate scientist's perspective, using 🌴 for the wins and 🤦‍♀️ for the facepalms.

Did I miss something? Let me know and I'll add it to this list! #ClimateAction #COP28FromHome 🧵
On Day 1, 198 nations ratified the framework for making COP27's loss + damage fund operational, and the first pledges were made. The EU led with $245M, while the US pledged $17.5M or about 0.002% of its defense budget.

I rate this one 🌴, and here's why:
lemonde.fr/en/environment…
This fund is badly needed, as nations least responsible for the problem are those bearing the brunt of the impacts. However, this is just a fraction of the $200-$250 billion developing countries will need **every year** by 2030 to adapt to climate change. germanwatch.org/en/cri
Read 12 tweets
Nov 14, 2023
Today, the 5th US National Climate Assessment was released. I've been an author now for 4 assessments - so what's new with this one, and why does it matter? (thread) nca2023.globalchange.gov
First, previous NCAs are still very relevant. If you want to know more about everything from climate scenarios to tipping points, check out the 2017 Climate Science Special Report and for great answers to the most common FAQs, see science2017.globalchange.gov
nca2018.globalchange.gov
However, over the last 5 yrs there have been significant advances in:
🌍 the science, esp. extreme event attribution
🤝 understanding the interconnectedness & inequality of the impacts
🚀 Adaptation & mitigation solutions
... all over a background of growing public concern.
Read 7 tweets
Oct 5, 2023
Today, @pontifex released Laudato Deum, an update on the 2015 encyclical. It's not so much a breath of fresh air as it is a bucket of ice water, straight to the face of those who are standing in the way of and delaying climate progress. Here are a few highlights:
On the science: "Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here + increasingly evident. No one can ignore the fact that in recent years we've witnessed extreme weather phenomena." I agree. nytimes.com/2021/08/17/opi…
On inequity: "There are those who would place responsibility on the poor, since they have many children. As usual, it would seem that everything is the fault of the poor. Yet the reality is that a low, richer percentage of the planet contaminates more than the poorest 50%." 🔥🔥
Read 10 tweets
Aug 28, 2023
45 climate scientists were asked what we thought of this years' climate disasters. Here are the highlights of what we said (thread) theguardian.com/environment/20…
Image
We all pretty much agree that "despite it certainly feeling as if events had taken a frightening turn, global heating to date is entirely in line with 3 decades of scientific predictions. But being proved right is cold comfort, as our warnings had so far been largely in vain."
Malte @meinshausen offered a zinger: "Climate science’s projections are pretty robust over the last decades. Unfortunately, humanity’s stubbornness to spew out ever higher amounts of greenhouse gases has also been pretty robust."
Read 9 tweets
Aug 21, 2023
Climate change is real. The warming we’ve observed is entirely human-caused.* Its impacts are serious, including making heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, droughts and floods more severe and more dangerous.** But there are solutions and we can fix it.*** 💪🌱
* This thread explains how we know that all of the observed warming (and then some) is human caused. Without it, the planet would be very gradually, slowly cooling.
** This thread explains how climate change doesn’t usually cause wildfires: but it is making them worse in many ways including making the season longer and increasing the area burned.
Read 4 tweets

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