Whether climate change contributes 1% or 50% to Australia’s wildfires, the fierce debate dramatizes the abyss of sterility into which activists have led climate politics. There is no climate policy (short of geoengineering to block a portion of sunlight reaching the earth) that would stop Australia’s fires or prevent them from recurring.

Climate policies are things that would, over time, change how much CO2 we ultimately put into the atmosphere. And contrary to the tone of much activism, things that would be worth doing are...