As California Fires Rage, Experts Point to Climate Change
*By Carlo Versano*
Two new wildfires broke out in Southern California's Ventura County on Monday, as firefighters strained their resources to contain the three blazes already rampaging across the state. In Northern California, the Camp Fire is now the deadliest in the state's history, with at least 31 dead.
Outside Los Angeles, the Woolsey Fire has killed at least two and forced mass evacuations of some of the wealthiest zip codes in the country, including the celebrity haven of Malibu.
Cheddar's Alyssa July Smith reported from Santa Monica that the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway was closed to non-essential services going into Malibu. The cars allowed to pass on the PCH from the north were stained by soot and ash.
If the superlatives from this year's fire season sound familiar ー historic, deadliest, once-in-a-generation ー it's because they are. Of the most catastrophic fires in California's modern history, nine of 10 occurred after 2000, according to Popular Science senior editor Sophie Bushwick.
And while no fire can be blamed on any sole factor, climate change is unquestionably making wildfires worse and more frequent, Bushwick said ー by way of drier land and warmer temperatures which, when combined with the accelerant of the famed Santa Ana winds blowing through the mountain passes, creates a tinder-box effect.
"Global warming is making conditions ripe for \[fires\]," Bushwick said. "Ignoring it is just fool-hardy."
In California, the situation is made worse by a growing population that's building homes and infrastructure closer and closer to the state's parched forests. The town of Paradise, which was more or less burned off the map by the Camp Fire, was built shoehorned into a canyon pass ー with one way in and one way out. That proved to be a death sentence for some of its residents, who tried to flee the fast-moving fire on the single road. Firefighters found at least seven bodies burned beyond recognition still in their cars, according to media reports.
Bushwick considers it parallel to hurricane victims in low-lying, flood-prone areas: in other words, people living where nature says they shouldn't.
"Where people choose to build their homes can make a natural disaster more of a disaster."
Chris Vecchio, senior analyst at DailyFX, joins Cheddar News to discuss what investors should watch as the three major indexes see wild swings all week.
On this episode of ChedHER: Avery Cyrus, one of TikTok's top LGBTQ creators discusses her partnership with Space Hero to become a citizen astronaut, and how she's using her platform on social media to give back; Boss Women Media Founder breaks down how she's empowering female entrepreneurs with 'Boss Business Showers;' Palmly Co-Founder explains how she's building a social networking app for Christians.
Rita Brooks, Co-Founder of Palmly, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's creating a social networking app for Christians, and her experience being a female founder in the tech industry.
Avery Cyrus, one of TikTok's top LGBTQ creators, joins ChedHER to discuss her partnership with Space Hero to become a citizen astronaut, and how she's using her platform on social media to give back.
A year after the r/WallStreetBets community on Reddit drove GameStop and other meme stocks to unprecedented heights, the subreddit seems to be losing its luster among retail investors. Caitlin McCabe, markets and retail trading reporter from The Wall Street Journal, joined Cheddar to talk about the waning popularity of the group “Users are going on to find the next GameStop, and instead, they're seeing many of the new users who have joined the subreddit still talking about GameStop and AMC," McCabe noted. "And, they've become frustrated as they're ready to move on from those original meme stocks."
Marty McDonald, Founder of Boss Women Media, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's empowering female entrepreneurs with 'Boss Business Showers,' and advice for turning your side hustle into a career.
Plant-based meat giant Beyond Meat's reign over the fast food world continues, as McDonald's announced that it is expanding its test of Beyond's McPlant burger, to nearly 600 restaurants, an increase from the eight that it's been testing in since November. This comes less than two weeks after Beyond Fried Chicken made its nationwide debut at KFC restaurants, the first time that plant based chicken has been widely distributed in a fast food capacity. Arun Sundaram, Senior Equity Analyst at CFRA Research explains why these latest collaborations may be proof that Beyond Meat products could slowly be becoming an unlikely staple in the fast food and chain restaurant world as consumers opt for more healthy food options.
Citi recently began collaborating with fitness entrepreneur Tracy Anderson to promote its Custom Cash Credit card. Pam Habner, CEO of U.S. Branded Cards for Citi, along with Tracy Anderson, creator of The Tracy Anderson Method, joined Cheddar to discuss how health and fitness matched up with a cash back credit card. "The fact that Citi is going 'hey if you lead a healthy lifestyle, we're going to help you out. We understand that it's more expensive and we're going to give you cash back for living your best life,'" Anderson said about the partnership, which also includes a custom promotional Spotify playlist.
Low-code app development platform Crowdbotics raised $22 million in a Series A funding round led by Jackson Square Ventures. Crowdbotics has helped more than 14,000 customers launch apps without having to learn how to code. The company can offer a team of expert developers to help companies launch custom apps, or provide the means for companies to develop apps themselves. Crowdbotics CEO Anand Kulkarni joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
