“I’m convinced that this planet is warming and that this is part of the result of that,” says Colorado wildfire victim Hani Ahmad while looking at the ruins of his house. “The West is a tinderbox … I’m terrified for everybody in the West.”
Ahmad’s instinct — that drought and record-breaking heat in Colorado helped shape conditions for the devastating fires — is backed up by ecologist Jim Ebersole in the second half of the video. But the really striking part is the beginning, where the Ahmads return to their former home, now a crater. No matter how many facts we can reel off about what human activity does to the planet, it won’t fully hit home until people see the human toll of current — not potential — climate change.
Well, the really striking part is that bit, and also the bit where the city’s top fire official says that he has no intention of asking for more staff, because “it’s just too expensive” and “just because it’s getting warmer doesn’t mean there’s gonna be a fire.” I’m sure the Ahmads are relieved to hear it.
