politics. >> shop for items to decorate your home during our home decor sale going on now at c-spanshop.org. c-span's online store. save up to 25% on our latest collection of c-span blankets and pillows, mugs and drinkware, bobble heads and more. there's something for every c-span fan and every dollar helps support our operation. scan the code to shop during our home decor sale going on now at c-spanshop.org. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this. it looks like this, where americans can see democracy at work. when citizens are truly informed, our republic thrives. get informed straight from the sources on c-span, unfiltered,

unbiased, word-for-word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are. the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. contin. host: we are back with "washington journal." climate change scientist and university of california berkeley professor patrick gonzales joins us to discuss how climate change is impacting wildfires. good morning, professor gonzales. caller: good morning. host: i have an article pulled up by the guardian. i am going to read the first couple of paragraphs. it says canada's ongoing wildfire season is a harbinger of our climate future, experts and officials say. the fires are a "clear sign of climate change that mohammed raisa, a researcher at mcgill

university in montréal, who was also a postdoctoral associate at the massachusetts institute of technology." research shows climate change has already exacerbated wildfires dramatically. my question is, do you agree with that hypothesis? guest: absolutely. scientific research shows human caused climate change is exacerbating wildfire. wildfires caused by a complex mix of factors. let me briefly set the stage and describe the context. a certain amount of wildfire is natural in many forests. , it kills pests stems out small trees and insurers forests health. in california where i am and in the southwestern u.s., buyer naturally occurs every 10 to 20 years. in canada, buyer naturally

occurs every 100 to 300 years. an amazon rain forests, a wildfire never occurs at all. in the western u.s., old outdated policies of suppressing all fires, even natural ones, have caused unnatural human relations of fuel. in canada, roads and towns have caused unnatural increases in ignitions. at the same time, climate change is intensifying the heat that drives wildfires. specific, scientific analyses called detention attribution have looked at different factors that go into wildfires. these analyses have concluded that human caused climate change has lengthened buyer season around the world -- fire season

around the world up to two months. in the united states human caused climate change has doubled the area of wildfire above natural level since 1984. in british columbia, canada in the extreme fire year of 2017 human caused climate change increased burned area seven to 11 times over natural level. a combination of local factors and human caused climate change have increased the area burned by wildfire. host: i am bringing up some data from the national interagency fire center. it shows that the number of fires in acres burned can vary greatly from year to year. what other factors are causing that fluctuation? you talked about the human impact, but why do we see so much fluctuation from year to

year recently? guest: it is because both temperature, rainfall and snowfall very year to year. human caused climate change is causing a long-term increase in the temperature. in some years, rainfall is very high so the landscape is moist. so, we have fewer buyers. -- fires. in other years, the rainfall and snowfall drops and it is drier. that is superimposed on this long-term increase in heat. it is in those years like this year in canada that wildfire explodes. host: we want you to call in with either questions or, professor gonzales, for any thoughts about wildfires and climate change.

those numbers are, if you are in the eastern or central time zones, we want you to call us at (202) 748-8000. if you are in the mountain or pacific time zones, call us at (202) 748-8001. again, eastern and central, (202) 748-8000. mountain and pacific, (202) 748-8001. before we get to the calls, i want to ask you, professor gonzales, you are in california which you have said has experienced wildfires increasing over the past years. recently, when the wildfires in canada impacted the northeast corridor, new york, washington, d.c., it seemed public interest increased greatly.

did you notice that and has that caused frustration with those in california who said, we have been talking about this for years and you did not pay attention until it affected you more directly? guest: it is good when the public takes note, wherever the public is. the hazards of climate change, how it is exacerbating wildfire and other impacts around the world. so, this -- these recent episodes in the eastern u.s. just expanded the awareness of the impact of climate change. host: we are talking with university of california berkeley professor patrick gonzales, ready for your questions or comments. first up is ann in spyro, oklahoma. i think we lost ann that quickly. we will wait and get back to the phone lines.

you mentioned the floodwaters and snow. this is from the california department of water resources, it says that there is, the manual survey recorded 126.5 inches of snow depth and a water equivalent of 221% of average for this location, that was in early april. the quote says "this year's severe storm and flooding is the latest example california's climate is becoming more extreme," said department of water resources director. after the driest three years on record and the devastating drought impacts to communities across the state, the department of water resources has rapidly shifted to flood response and forecasting for the upcoming snow melt. we have been talking about climate change. some people are going to say

wildfires were in issue, now we are talking about wildfires and drought. now, we are talking about flooding. how can both be an impact of climate change? guest: published scientific research shows that human caused climate change is increasing the amount of energy in the atmosphere. this energy is redistributed in unusual ways, such that temperature extremes and rainfall extremes have been occurring. so, the drought california experienced, the severe drought from 2012 to 2016 is actually part of a larger, more widespread drought across the southwestern u.s. that is in the most severe desk that has been the most severe since the 1500s. climate change and this redistribution of atmospheric

energy sometimes brings extreme, storms extreme rainfalls. that is what occurs this year with the atmospheric river's. the snow is good news in terms of wildfires. the landscape is going to be moist this year. climate change is causing these extremes. sometimes, rainfall goes up. sometimes, it goes down. it is imposed on this long-term heating. host: let's go to phone lines now. robert is in susanville, california. go ahead with your question or comment. caller: thank you for taking my call. in california, i have worked for the forest service. part of the problem is how their policy is on fighting fires now. when i used to work for them 40 years ago, they tried to put

fires out. i understand that the underbrush growth and that kind of thing does need to be taken care of, but their problem is now with these huge fires that burn for months at a time. they do not try to put them out. they try to control the burn. eventually, we get a windy day, it blows over there buyer lines and we lose towns like paradise. the town of greenville three years ago for the dixie fire. that was a controlled burn that got out of control because they decided to leave. ok? i understand climate has a lot to do with it. sodas population. -- so does population. fires used to burn before in

remote areas, now they are not so remote. i have watched them. i used to work with them. i use to watch -- run supplies to them. i watched fire fighters waiting and watching as a fire burned. i even ask one of them, do you have a shovel? i will throw dirt on the spire -- on this buyer -- fire. guest: the depth and damage from wildfires are very sad and regrettable. published scientific research shows that the most effective means to prevent those deaths and damage in the future is to restore the natural fire regime that have been unnaturally suppressed over a century of outdated policies. the federal agencies have a national wildfire plan and have

operational plans for each fire. if fires are naturally ignited and remote, then the fire crews monitor the fire and let it burn, let the natural fire clear out the understory to reduce the fire hazard for the future. when fires are close to towns or suburbs or have a risk of jumping over, the fire crews are very vigilant and their orders are to defend life and property. we can do both. it is important to have this long-term view under climate change to reduce the fire risk by the natural, reintroduction of natural fire. host: our next caller is jasmine in washington, d.c.

caller: thank you for taking my call. thank you professor gonzales for your work and research. i am curious what is on your radar when it comes to other types of research or innovations that are working towards preventing climate disasters, if there is any work to use other disasters to support disasters. i was in the midwest -- midsouth and there was torrential rain and thunderstorms. i was wondering if this was water you could use to help put fires out, curious if there is anything in that space. thank you. guest: well, climate change, the fundamental way to prevent future, disastrous, catastrophic wildfires is to cut the carbon

pollution from cars, power plants and human sources that causes climate change. the floods that you mentioned, the wildfires we are talking about, and also the actual extinction of animal species and tree mortality, sea level rise, all of those impacts of climate change. the most effective means to halt the most drastic consequences of climate change is to cut because, and that is -- cut the cause, which is emissions from cars and other human sources. a lot of innovation is now going into energy efficiency and renewable energy to attack the cause. host: let's go to grand junction, colorado. we will hear from everett. caller: good