Outgoing California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, charged climate change deniers with exacerbating the unfolding “tragedies” in his state after at least 31 people were confirmed dead amid wildfires burning in Northern and Southern California.
Brown’s comments follow President Trump weekend Twitter threat to suspend federal assistance over California’s alleged mishandling of its forests and other fire mitigation strategies.
“Managing all the forests in everywhere we can does not stop climate change,” Brown told reporters at a Sunday press conference. “And those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we’re now witnessing, and will continue to witness in the coming years.”
Brown additionally said he would consider bringing back National Guard troops from the southern border to help if need be, according to the Associated Press.
The Camp Fire raging in California’s north has so far killed 29 people, equaling the death toll of the state’s deadliest blaze, which broke out in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park in 1933. The Camp Fire has also destroyed almost 7,000 structures, making it the most destructive individual inferno in the state’s history. Two other people were also killed in Malibu at the weekend, as the Woolsey and Hill Fires raze properties northwest of Los Angeles. At least 200 people remain missing as more than 300,000 residents have been forced to evacuate their homes statewide.
Trump on Saturday raised the possibility of rolling back federal funds and resources, despite approving an emergency declaration for California that started on Nov. 8.
“Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests,” Trump tweeted. “Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”
He later expressed his condolences to families who had lost loved ones and thanked firefighters for their work trying to control the blazes.
This is not the first time Trump has targeted Brown. In August, the president blamed California’s fires on “bad environmental laws,” which he said “aren’t allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized.”
Brown, who is about to be replaced by Democratic Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, has also hit Trump in the past for his stance on climate change.
“I don’t think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility,” Brown told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in December. “And, this is such a reckless disregard for the truth and for the existential consequences that can be unleashed,” he continued, referring to climate scientists who believe global warming is due to the burning of fossil fuels.
