Weather & Science
California Fires in 2020 Wiped Out Years of Fighting Air Pollution
- 2020 fire emissions were double what state reduced in 17 years
- State suffered nearly $100 million in emissions damages
This article is for subscribers only.
California’s wildfires in 2020 wiped out nearly two decades of efforts by the state to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The amount of pollutants from the Golden State’s most disastrous wildfire year on record was equal to twice the total amount of carbon emissions cut between 2003 and 2019, according to researchers with the University of California, Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health.