Donald Trump’s nominee for energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing criticism for disputing the ties between climate change and more frequent or severe wildfires, the Washington Post reports, a stance that is contrary to scientific consensus.
During Wright’s US Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Democrats, including the California senator Alex Padilla, challenged Wright over past comments, pointing to a LinkedIn post calling wildfire concerns “hype” and dismissing their connection to climate policies.
Padilla accused Wright of downplaying the real and deadly effects of wildfires. When the senator asked whether Wright stood by those comments in light of the catastrophic blazes in his home state, Wright responded that he believes that climate change is a global phenomenon and that he stands by his past comments.
At 4pm the Los Angeles county medical examiner’s office confirmed the death toll from the wildfires...
The death toll from the Eaton and Palisades fires that have consumed large swathes of Los...
Ominous winds were expected to regain strength Monday, howling through fire-blackened trees, picking up...
The largest of four active wildfires in Los Angeles County was encroaching on a major Southern...
