Andrea Brower and Joan Braune: The 'particularly dangerous situation' extends to conspiracy theories

Andrea Brower and Joan Braune issue a warning amid worsening wildfire conditions in the Pacific Northwest, arguing that disasters can be exploited to shift blame and fuel divisive narratives, including conspiracy theories. They tie the escalation to climate change and cite how hotter, drier, windier weather increases wildfire frequency and severity. The authors also point to decades of fire suppression replacing Indigenous low-intensity burning practices, contributing to what they call a “particularly dangerous situation” declared in Washington on Aug. 1 by the U.S. National Weather Service. They reference record acreage burned in Oregon and record destruction in Washington and note that 330,000 people have been evacuated in France and Spain as 2026 trends among the hottest on record.