Cause + Effect

how climate change, the LA fires, and fashion are all related

Last month fires ravaged areas of Los Angeles at such a speed and in such a way that seemed shocking. Yet, none of us should have truly been shocked as climate scientists have been warning us of more extreme storms, droughts, floods, fires, etc all over the world for years. The conditions in the LA area this past January combined a drought with only 0.16 inches of rain since the previous May, a summer that was the hottest they had had in 130 years, lots of dry plant life, and incredibly fierce Santa Ana winds that saw gusts of 35-55 mps. A study has shown that the recent LA fires were made about 35% more likely due to human-made warming.

The aftermath of these fires has been tragic with loss of homes, neighborhoods, businesses, and lives. People both locally to the area and from afar immediately rallied to offer support and help those who needed it. Seeing this happen brought a sense of hope and humanity. Donations poured in and a big category for these was clothing. Very quickly more and more places had to stop apparel donations as they were overwhelmed with the piles of clothing accumulating. Not only was there just too much of it but a great deal of the clothing was not of good quality being from “fast fashion” brands. The fact that piles of cheap polyester, a material made from petroleum-based chemicals, were being formed in response to a disaster caused by human-made planet warming forms a link within a destructive cycle we are all in and suffering from globally.