American billionaire, owner of the social network X, and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, commented on the reasons behind the raging fires in Los Angeles, as reported by Tengri Life.
He shared his thoughts on X.
"If the explanation for the fires (arising from climate change - ed.) were accurate, Texas, which has twice the forest area of California, would experience roughly twice as many wildfires destroying homes," he stated in his post.
The businessman believes that climate change is indeed occurring, but at a slow pace.
"The problem in Los Angeles stemmed from the failure to create fire breaks and clear brush, as well as the inability to ensure an adequate water supply and poor management at the state, county, and city levels," he noted.
If the climate change explanation were true, Texas, which has twice the forest area of California, would have roughly twice the wildfires that destroy homes.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 12, 2025
Climate change is happening, but slowly.
The issue with LA was failure to create fire breaks and clear brush, combined…
It is important to note that the situation with the fires in Los Angeles remains critical. The death toll has risen to 16 people. Approximately 12,000 homes have been destroyed, and in the suburb of Pacific Palisades, the fire area increased overnight, burning about 9,500 hectares.
Over the past few days, more than 180,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.
Los Angeles is on fire: record damage and hundreds of thousands evacuated
Local authorities have advised residents to minimize outdoor activities due to poor air quality caused by the fires.
President Joe Biden has declared the fires a major natural disaster and stated that the U.S. government will cover 100 percent of recovery costs over the next six months.