Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the horrible fires in Australia can be partly attributed to global warming. It's a legitimate storyline, which many in the media have picked up on. By and large, these stories have been measured, with the appropriate caveats. (See here and here for two good examples.) The brutal heat wave that preceded the fires (which Tom Yulsman graphically lays out here), combined with an epic drought, and high winds, set the stage for a tragic disaster that may have been initially caused by arsonists. Still, in this insightful analysis published on the Forest History Society's blog, environmental historian Stephen Pyne cautions against fixating on global warming or arson as the agents of destruction:
Both are reasons, and both are also potential misdirections. Global warming might magnify outbreaks, but it means a change in degree, not in kind; and its effects must still be ...
