One definition of fossil fuels:
https://www.britannica.com/science/fossil-fuel
And most of us are acutely aware of these and of our dependency.
Whilst using alternatives for producing energy to power the electricity we need at the most basic level is a priority, we also measure the carbon footprint of production of renewables. There is no scaleable model which can prove zero carbon footprint.
As wildfires threaten electricity infrastructure, the whole networked design also needs a rethink.
The power grid can also cause wildfires.
As wildfires rage, carbon emissions soar.
Where forests are in hilly areas, once they burn down and then rain falls, there is nothing to hold the land and landslides occur. It takes decades, even centuries, to grow forests to retain land, to help the planet breathe. Now once spectacular forests are lost and the land cannot hold against heavy rain.
Consider this:
The World’s Oldest Underground Fire Has Been Burning For 6,000 Years
https://gizmodo.com/the-worlds-oldest-underground-fire-has-been-burning-fo-1539049759
The fire fighters in Gironde, South Western France, have reported fires running underground and igniting miles away from the fires they were fighting. Some 30 or so fires were emerging at the same time.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/08/13/qlvw-a13.html
We are in a cycle of harm, as usual. We are on the back foot because we did not have the sense to redesign our ageing infrastructure 100 years ago. We are too busy fighting each other for scarce resources, and the fighting produces more carbon footprint, more emissions, more contamination of our precious planet.
Don’t drown out the voices of those who have the solutions because their ideas don’t produce a quick investment return. But also beware of snake oil salesmen, and invest in those who can prove sustainable redesign and build projects. Save lives and do no harm.
borderslynn 
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