Question

"The landscape in California is very different in various areas, and different parts of the state have different conditions that can support wildfires. But one thing that stays the same is that humans are responsible for most of the fires that happen every year. Keeley argues that we should focus on human activity when looking at the main causes of large wildfires, pointing to both the practice of fire suppression and California’s growing population as key factors. “The bottom line is this is a multifactor problem. It’s not just climate change, it’s not just the drought, it’s not just dieback. It’s management activities that have suppressed fires for over a century — a lot of things going on,” Keeley said. “The way I see the current situation in California, this is the perfect storm. Everything is coming together at once.” While this summer’s fires were fueled by lightning storms as well as human activity, Keeley noted that the fires caused by the yearly autumn winds are “always” started by people, whether by accident or on purpose. He said that power line failures have caused most of the large fall fires in the state over the past twenty years. Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Inadequate maintenance is partly to blame, according to courts. The New York Times reported that PG&E’s electrical network—which serves about 16 million people in Central and Northern California—has been linked to several destructive fires, and regulators have found that the company “violated state law or could have done more to make its equipment safer” in several cases." Which statement best reflects the author's point of view on addressing California's wildfire problem? (1 point) Responses Climate change is the sole cause of worsening wildfires Climate change is the sole cause of worsening wildfires Nothing can be done to prevent future wildfire disasters Nothing can be done to prevent future wildfire disasters Human actions play a significant role in both causing and preventing wildfires Human actions play a significant role in both causing and preventing wildfires Lightning strikes are the primary concern for future wildfire seasons

Answer 1

The statement that best reflects the author's point of view on addressing California's wildfire problem is: Human actions play a significant role in both causing and preventing wildfires.