Devastating wildfires have been burning millions of acres throughout California, Oregon, and Washington over the past month. California’s climate has always made it prone to fires, but the connection between the raging wildfires and climate change is inseparable. With climate change causing warmer temperatures and a drier climate, fires have been starting easier, spreading faster, and intensifying quickly, negatively affecting the air quality and lifestyles of San Luis Obispo High School students.
  Amid the destruction of the wildfires, President Donald Trump has neglected this issue and stayed mostly silent on the fires.
  “While it’s frustrating that the leader of our country ignores straight facts, it’s very scary to think of all the possible damage being done to the western states with the current fires,” said senior Sadie LaChapelle.
  Despite expert scientific evidence linking climate change to the fueling fires, Trump claimed at a Pennsylvania campaign rally in August that the solution to this issue is vegetation and forest management, blaming the state of California rather than addressing the real cause.
  “They’re starting again in California. I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests — there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they’re like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up,” said Trump.
  Trump visited California on September 14 after receiving criticism regarding his lack of response.
   “We want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forests, and actually work together with that science… That science is gonna be key because if we ignore that science, and sort of put our head in the sand and think it’s all about vegetation management, we’re not going to succeed together, protecting Californians,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot in response to Trump’s avoidance of the issue.
  His response was, “It’ll start getting cooler, you just, you just watch”. “I wish science agreed with you,” Crawfoot replied. “Oh, well, I don’t think science knows actually,” Trump said.
  “I can’t help but laugh because our whole lives we are taught to believe science when it comes to our earth and the way it reacts. Climate change is real and if we want to start saving the human race we are going to need to do something. Science doesn’t lie, the president does,” said senior Catie Leebrick.
  The ignorance from our own president not believing or acknowledging the scientific facts about the dangers to our world and the future of the environment is very concerning.
  “Trump’s remarks may have been a bit rash in saying that the fires spreading across California are purely the states fault, but I think he also makes a fair point. Governor Gavin Newsom admits that we have not done justice on our forest management. It is clear that forest management is a huge factor in preventing the spread of wildfires. Although Trump occasionally struggles to get his points across in a respectful manner, I believe we should pay attention to what actions he actually rakes, rather than what comes out of his mouth,” said senior Sophia Silacci.
  I agree that there are actions that need to be taken when it comes to better forest management; however, I think it would help if President Trump himself were to acknowledge climate change as a significant factor of the devastation across the West Coast.

Sources:
https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2020-california-wildfires/#:~:text=There%20has%20been%20one%20fatality,17%2C665%20acres%20with%2087%25%20containment.