Wildfires on the West Coast

Written by Alaina Hickson

Researched by Kat Bonomo

Wildfires are something that occur way too often; but what do these natural disasters have to do with climate change? The connection stems from conditions in the west coast becoming hotter and drier due to a combination of the two. Recently, wildfires have increased dramatically, resulting in human exposure to toxic elements and ignition sources that not only spark fires, but ultimately destroy the untouched forests around us. For our wildfires infographic researched by Kat Bonomo, she interviewed her friends and acquaintances who live or have lived in the path of the California wildfires.

Luis, a teen in the Los Angeles area, said, “Well, from all these fires, the air hasn’t been the safest and we are seeing the change of colors in our sky. It hasn’t affected me like others, but the after-ashes had a bit.” 

Angy from Ontario noted, “It was so orange dude, you could smell that disappointing air quality.” Angelika from Buena Park added, “I live 30 to 40 minutes at least from anywhere heavily affected by the fires, but even from here it's not safe to be outside for very long without a mask on.” 

As simply stated by Los Angeles resident Deep, “Without sadness we cannot truly appreciate happiness in life.” It seems as though the fires on the west coast have affected residents and the environment in all forms. Wildfires no doubt are upsetting and impactful, but hearing from those personally involved truly broke the Eco Gen Zine team as a whole.  If interested, you can donate here to help those affected. Every penny counts.

Art Credits: Nikolai Senin