With my new hope that deniers of climate change will take ownership of the consequences, I am sad to report that this week, terrible wildfires have swept through Tennessee, a southeastern state in the USA. This state is beset by a tremendous drought, as seen by a recent US Drought Monitor map. There currently are severe, extreme, and exceptional drought conditions covering a wide swath of southern states. The causes of drought are combinations of lowered precipitation and higher temperatures.

U.S. Drought Monitor for 22 November 2016. Illustration: National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The patterns of drought are the result of many weeks of weather (warm and dry) that have led to the current conditions. The recent high-temperature map from NOAA below provides just one example.

U.S. high temperatures map for 29 November 2016. Photograph: NOAA

Why do we care about the crazy drought in the southern USA? Because it leads to bad consequences. As I write this post, we can read about the horrific fires in Tennessee that are destroying both natural habitat as well as towns and economies. A video about Gatlinburg Tennessee fires can be seen here. There, wildfires are threatening the resort town. It is too early to tell what economic damages will result.

Was this fire caused by climate change? The answer is yes. We are now in a world where all of our weather is impacted by humans. We know human-caused warming is making drought and heat more severe – that leads to fires like the one we are seeing. We also know that 2016 will be the hottest year ever recorded and the first time temperatures have reached the critical mark of 1C (1.8F) above normal.

Of course we feel sorry for the folks who are affected by the wildfire in Tennessee. But, Tennessee has not helped itself. In 2012, Tennessee passed a law encouraging teachers to present alternative reasons for climate change, even though those views are not supported by science.



Here are some insightful comments from legislators in Tennessee, as reported by Bill Moyers (found here).

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06): “The far left-wing elements of this administration foresee a near future with carbon regulated as a pollutant and heavily taxed to discourage consumption and generate revenue. We must resist all of these radical approaches all geared to raise energy prices on American families and businesses.” [Project Vote Smart Issue Position]



“The far left-wing elements of this administration foresee a near future with carbon regulated as a pollutant and heavily taxed to discourage consumption and generate revenue. We must resist all of these radical approaches all geared to raise energy prices on American families and businesses.” [Project Vote Smart Issue Position] Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07): “[T]here is not consensus [on climate change] and you can look at the latest IPCC Report and look at Doctor Lindzen from MIT. His rejection of that or Judith Curry … from Georgia Tech. There is not consensus there.” [The Wire, 2/17/14]



“[T]here is not consensus [on climate change] and you can look at the latest IPCC Report and look at Doctor Lindzen from MIT. His rejection of that or Judith Curry … from Georgia Tech. There is not consensus there.” [The Wire, 2/17/14] Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. (R-TN-02): On his website, Duncan lists five scientists that claim global warming is not real, including how global warming is “the greatest scam in history.” [Duncan Website]



On his website, Duncan lists five scientists that claim global warming is not real, including how global warming is “the greatest scam in history.” [Duncan Website] Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03): When asked his opinion about global warming during a candidate debate, Fleischmann said: “I think we ought to take Al Gore, put him on an iceberg, and put him way out there.” [Times Free Press, 7/5/12]



When asked his opinion about global warming during a candidate debate, Fleischmann said: “I think we ought to take Al Gore, put him on an iceberg, and put him way out there.” [Times Free Press, 7/5/12] Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN-01): “Many believe greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to the gradual warming of our planet and changing of our climate. While there are many questions surrounding the science of the issue, it seems to me like we could develop a solution that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions without inflicting catastrophic damage on our economy.” [Project Vote Smart Issue Position, 1/1/11]



So, I will just tell my friends in Tennessee, make sure to give a big THANK YOU to Diane, Marsha, John, Chuck, and Phil. Maybe they will come to help your town clean up after these fires.

Climate change is something we can prevent, but not with legislators like this.