Donald Trump Says California ‘Will Start Getting Cooler’ At Wildfire Roundtable
During a Sacramento roundtable to discuss wildfires, which have been raging through California, Donald Trump pushed back on research suggesting that increased temperatures are linked to climate change, Raw Story reported.
The interaction began when Wade Crowfoot of the California Natural Resources Agency touched on the record-breaking high temperatures in the state, where he said both summers and winters are getting warmer.
“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,” he said.
“That science is going to 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.”
In response, Trump suggested that temperatures in the state would begin to decline.
“It will start getting cooler,” he was quoted as saying. “You just watch.”
When Crowfoot argued that the current research runs in opposition to Trump’s beliefs, the president reportedly remained undeterred.
“Oh, well, I don’t think science knows actually,” he said.
Per The Guardian, Trump believes that the main cause of the current blazes in California is poor forest management. According to the president, fallen trees left unattended become dangerously dry, which can lead to fires.
“They just explode, he said. “They can explode.”
Trump also pointed to years of buildup of leaves that dry on the ground and lay the groundwork for widespread fires.
“It’s really a fuel for a fire. So they have to do something about it.”
As noted by The Guardian, experts claim that the wildfires are primarily the result of record levels of drought and heat linked to climate change.
Per ABC News, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown agreed that United States forest mismanagement has contributed to the massive blazes. However, she suggested climate variation due to human activity is the root cause and has been exacerbated by the previously mentioned mismanagement.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday took aim at Trump for his pushback against climate change as the cause of the wildfires. Inslee claimed data suggests that global weather variations are making fires not just easier to start but more intense and faster at spreading.
Trump has been open about his opposition to climate research on many occasions. As The Inquisitr reported, this denial is allegedly the result of decades of lobbying and grooming by companies like ExxonMobil, which continue to feed him misinformation on the issue.
