Amid a record-breaking heatwave that’s melted power cables and a historic drought that imperils the U.S. food supply, California Governor Gavin Newsom has a message on climate change. It’s our quote of the day.
“I should just say this with due respect to those that don’t believe in science, you got to believe your own damn eyes, observe the evidence.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom
Newsom delivered his remarks during a virtual meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other governors about another climate change consequence: the increased threat of wild fires on the West Coast.
Two thousand three hundred square acres of land have already been burned this year in western states. That’s ahead of the pace of 2020’s devastating fire season which saw 17,000 homes and other structures destroyed.
“Right now we have to act and act fast. We’re late in the game here,” Biden said at the meeting. “The truth is we’re playing catch up. This is an area that has been under resourced, but that’s going to change if we have anything to do with it.”
Biden announced that he was authorizing a pay boost for federal firefighters and expanding recruitment efforts. According to The Associated Press, “Biden’s plan would ensure that no one fighting wildland fires is making less than $15 per hour and would add or convert to full-time nearly 1,000 firefighters across a host of agencies.”
At the meeting, Newsom said he didn’t have a productive relationship with the Trump administration, saying he and Trump were “more like sparring partners, not working partners.”
“There’s no Republican thermometer, no Democratic thermometer. These realities are here with us today,” he added.
