Prof. Aseem Prakash and colleague Prof. Nives Dolšak in a Forbes opinion give us the image of the size of the California fires as the same as a country.
"Why are there fires on such a massive scale? The causes are both structural (climate change and bad policies) and agentic (irresponsible individual behaviors). The former create conditions that increase fire risks and degrade response capacity, while the latter pulls the veritable trigger."
The consequences of the fires could affect climate policies as the fires have diminished the capacity of solar input to the grid, in a season of excess heat, and California regulators are reconsidering the phase-out of gas-fired power plants.
The fire problem is bigger than the politics of 2020. No matter who wins this November the big fire menace will remain for the near future.