Wildfire prevention

September 2020

Every year, wildfires destroy the tranquility of the Sanctuary Zone. Every year they get worse, thanks to global warming. Fortunately, we can put a stop to them and do our part to turn back the clock.

California wildfires

Wildfires emit at least as much greenhouse gas annually as cars do, and usually more. Some thought leaders have already proposed getting rid of all cars with internal combustion engines. This would be a good start, but it does not go nearly far enough. If getting rid of one source makes sense, it makes twice as much sense to get rid of both sources.

In addition to stopping people from pulling up to a gas pump and filling their death machines with toxic chemicals, we have to stop them from turning a valve or flicking a switch to heat their homes or to get hot water. Getting to a place of no pollution means going back to the practices of a time when there was no pollution — a time before push-button fossil fuels and electricity. It means going back to wood power.

Returning to wood power would encourage those both inside and outside of the Sanctuary Zone to spend some time in our state’s many forested areas. In time, our natural forests — which now are dangerously overgrown — would be cleared of the very ingredients that now fuel the wild fires, immunizing them from any future fire damage.

Best of all, many of these natural forested areas are outside of the Sanctuary Zone and are “owned” by the federal government, making this extensive source of fuel free for the taking.