Senator Sherry Rehman, known for her advocacy on the effects of climate change, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticise California Governor Gavin Newsom's statement about the LA fires.

 

Rehman posted a picture of The Express Tribune newspaper, which featured a photo of the California Governor on the front page, along with his statement.

 

The statement was made against the backdrop of wildfires that ravaged the Hollywood neighbourhood in California. It read, “The fires [in LA] could end up being the worst natural disaster in US history.”

 

Rehman’s caption highlighted the lack of acknowledgement on Gavin’s part concerning the worsening effects of global warming, which are playing out in the form of fires in LA. 

 

She wrote, “Except what is happening in the #LosAngelesFires is NOT a natural disaster. Climate triggered disasters are not natural disasters. Calling them natural absolves human action of all responsibility. The lack of water may be human inaction, as may other civic responses, but this is the new reality the big fossil fuel emitters have created. The #RedPlanet was not nature's creation. #GlobalWarming.”

 

 

The official figures state that the expensive Pacific Palisades neighbourhood faced a contained fire of 11 percent, but it grew to 23,600 acres, while the fire at Eaton was at 14,000 acres and 15 percent contained.

 

As the fire spread through the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, the homes of Hollywood A-listers, like Paris Hilton, Milo Ventimiglia, and Billy Crystal, were destroyed by fires.

 

When asked in an interview if the region would be ready to host a Super Bowl, World Cup, or any such event in the near future, Newsom pledged to rebuild an "LA 2.0" post-fire.

 

AccuWeather, a weather forecasting agency, estimated the total economic damage to land between $52 and $57 billion. However, JPMorgan analysts have estimated that insured losses could reach $20 billion.

 

The wildfires have damaged over 40,300 acres of land across Los Angeles. International media reports that at least 24 people have died, and more than 12,300 structures have been burnt to ashes.