Humans share blame for spreading wildfires

Your stories on the horrific wildfires in California did an excellent job of describing the human toll: buildings destroyed, residents injured or rendered homeless, smoke so dense and so widespread it's visible from outer space, the air on Earth too dangerous to breathe.

You do your readers an enormous service by bringing them such important national news stories. What your readers may not know is that humans are at least partially to blame for the devastation. By continuing to burn fossil fuels at unprecedented rates, we continue to warm the planet, which exacerbates the conditions that lead to wildfires - as well as hurricanes, floods, droughts and other extreme weather events that tax our societies and endanger our ability to live on this planet.

The fact that climate change is human-caused is actually good news, because it means we humans can do something about it. Would you consider devoting some attention to covering climate change solutions?

The first step is to reduce emissions. How can we effectively stop adding carbon to the atmosphere without hurting people? What is fair? What will people accept? What policies can be implemented worldwide?

A steadily rising fee on carbon with all revenues returned to people is a solution that deserves attention. Once we reduce emissions, what can we do to suck carbon out of the atmosphere in order to bring the climate back to a safer state?

We need to put this global fire out, now. Why are we pretending there is nothing we can do? It's time to start talking solutions.

Terry Quain, Co-leader, Greater Naperville Area Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby

Naperville