Some may say this is so 2020, but experts are pointing to long-term effects of climate change
Photos by Ashlyn GaryOn Sept. 9, Wednesday, residents of the Bay Area woke up to an “apocalyptic” scene. The orange and red sky was all over San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkley. Netizens posted all over Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms cinematic pictures.
According to American news channel ABC7 News, the smoke was blown in from the wildfires burning hundreds of miles away. Due to the high winds, the smoke never settles near the ground, instead, it stays at a high altitude. That is why, when people stepped out of their homes to witness the scene, they saw a yellow-orange sky without smelling any smoke.
“I thought it was early in the morning because the sun hasn’t risen, but it turns out that all the ash was discoloring the air,” says Annika Altura, a Filipino fine dining cook based in San Francisco who shared her photo with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle.
Not with a bang, but with a whimper
While netizens have joked about the “apocalyptic” scene straight out of Blade Runner, the current California wildfires have led to the longest stretch of unhealthy air quality that the Bay Area has recorded. According to a CNN report, there have been 25 days of “Spare the Air” alerts, breaking the previous record of 14 days back in 2018.
“I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 5 years, and it has never been this hot, smoky, or dark, for this long,” Danielle Limcaoco, a Filipino UI/UX designer working for a start-up in San Francisco, shares with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “We’re calling it an apocalypse because it really feels like one. Global warming is real, and I hope that Americans remember this when they vote in November. It feels like it’s a “now or never” moment.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out that last year, California saw 4,927 fires, while this year there have already been 7,606 fires thus far. The governor mentioned climate change as a direct factor in extreme weather conditions like the unprecedented extreme heatwave that has been a primary cause of the wildfires. Over 2.2 million acres have been scorched this year.
The year 2020 has seen its fair share of “end of the world” moments. But the intensity of the California wildfires has been increasing over the years, with scientists and experts pointing to human-caused climate change. These slow and steady changes may cause subtle but extremely damaging long-term effects that have the potential to haunt us way past the year 2020.