Hawaii fires made ‘much more dangerous’ by climate change | First Thing
Global heating is drying out vegetation, priming it as fuel for wildfires, say scientists. Plus, the plight of the adopted children of Bangladesh's Birangona women
Good morning.
The devastating fires in Hawaii, where at least 55 people have died after a conflagration that engulfed the historic town of Lahaina, were worsened by a number of factors including the climate crisis, scientists have said.
How did the Maui fires start and what caused them? The fires appear to have burned first in vegetation and then rapidly spread into populated areas amid wind gusts of more than 60mph. The cause of the fires has not been determined but they broke out as the island faced strong winds and low humidity that the National Weather Service had predicted would bring high fire danger with the risk of rapid spread.
What have witnesses said? Survivors spoke of a scene of devastation in Lahaina, a historic tourist spot, and recounted close calls as the flames reduced part of the town to ruins and took the lives of at least three dozen of their neighbors. Lahaina Town and whole neighborhoods went up in flames and is unrecognizable ... it looks more like a war zone," Dean Rickard, co-coach of the Lahainaluna high school football team, told the Star-Advertiser in Honolulu.
What does Thomas say? He denies wrongdoing, claiming he never discussed politics or business before the court with his benefactors, and to have been wrongly advised about disclosure requirements. Nonetheless, condemnation was widespread.
What might happen? Robert Reich, a former US labor secretary now a Berkeley professor and Guardian columnist, said Thomas must resign or be impeached if [the supreme court] is going to retain any credibility". Only one justice, Samuel Chase, has been impeached - in 1804 - and he was acquitted in the Senate. In 1969, the justice Abe Fortas resigned under threat of impeachment, over his acceptance of outside fees.
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