Rachel Weber: Forest fires a preview of global warming

I can’t help but feel that North Carolina forests are sending us a message. While President Obama’s environmental legacy may very well go up in smoke, one of our best defenses against climate change – our forests – are literally on fire. These fires are a devastating reminder of how important it is for us to fight back against global warming.

Our forests are becoming more vulnerable to fire as temperatures rise and droughts get worse. In fact, the U.S. Forest Service has warned that the area of forest burned every year by wildfires could double by 2050, while some particularly vulnerable regions come see five times as much fire. But that’s only if we are slow to act.

We can prevent the worst impacts of global warming if we accelerate our shift to clean, renewable energy. North Carolina policymakers can help by moving forward with the Clean Power Plan, a policy limiting dangerous warming pollution from power plants, without delay.

North Carolina should focus exclusively on energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy to meet the goals of this science-based policy, no matter what becomes of it. When it comes to climate change, let’s stop throwing fuel on the fire.

This story was originally published December 8, 2016 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Rachel Weber: Forest fires a preview of global warming."