(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
ICYMI: Wealth and privilege is no defense against Climate Change - even after the fires are out [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-09-07
The NY Times Magazine had an August 24 article by Nathaniel Rich on the aftermath of the fires of 2025 in Los Angeles. The problems didn’t end after the fires were finally put out. In some ways, they were only beginning — and not just for the people who lost their homes. (Gift link)
Besides posing a humanitarian problem, an insurance problem, an economic problem and a public-health problem, the Los Angeles fires of 2025 posed a daunting garbage problem. The incineration of 50,000 acres of Los Angeles County converted some 18,000 homes into 2.6 million tons of waste. That is more than the entire city of Philadelphia produces in a year — and it doesn’t even account for all the charred vehicles and trees. Where would all the trash go? A further complication: Much of the waste was probably toxic. Any home built before 1980 is most likely coated with lead paint and insulated with asbestos. Nearly every residence in the United States can be safely assumed to contain batteries, cleaning solvents, computers and plastics. Even compounds naturally found in soil, like trivalent chromium, can be transformed by wildfires into the highly carcinogenic hexavalent chromium — the contaminant made famous by the movie “Erin Brockovich.” Because of these assumptions, it is standard practice, after a fire, to clear structures, remove six inches of soil and conduct tests to ensure that no hazardous compounds remain.
It’s not a simple problem to deal with the waste; strict safety regulations dictate where such dangerous materials can be disposed of — or so one might think. Someone (who still remains anonymous) came up with an answer of how to dispose of waste that has been tested and found to be hazardous:
..In the case of the 2.6 million tons, at least, somebody in a position of influence at the state or federal level — the person’s identity may never be publicly known — hit upon an ingenious solution. The fire ash would simply not be tested for hazardous compounds. If you didn’t test the ash, you couldn’t prove it was toxic. And without evidence of toxicity, all the ash could be shipped, immediately, to the nearest residential landfill.
This is where the residents of Calabassas, CA found themselves one day — realizing that thousands of truckloads of waste of unknown toxicity would be coming to a landfill most of them had not realized was located in their town if they did nothing. It’s a town of celebrities, professionals, and politically-connected people with the financial and political expertise to fight back.
To no avail.
Read the whole thing. There is a lot to ponder in the article. As climate change amplifies ‘natural’ disasters, the cleanup and recovery is going to be an ever growing challenge for everyone. As shown here, if the residents of Calabassas can find themselves at hazard, what chance do communities of lesser means have to protect themselves? (Anyone checked on East Palestine, OH lately? Anyone remember Love Canal?) It’s not just about dumping it on minority communities any more — the problems are too large.
If this can happen in California, with its legendary/notorious concern for the environment and conscientious/burdensome regulations, what does this mean going forward, especially under an authoritarian government determined to make everything worse? Can’t keep giving tax cuts to billionaires and deal with climate change too. Guess who wins that one.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/7/2342307/-ICYMI-Wealth-and-privilege-is-no-defense-against-Climate-Change-even-after-the-fires-are-out?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
