We’re only halfway through the year and 2020 is already expected to break global temperature records. This isn’t big news though, we’ve been hearing about record breaking temperatures for the past decade. The message is clear; global warming is intensifying, and the longer we go without meaningful change, the more dire the consequences will be for life on this planet.
In the meantime, PG&E recently pled guilty on 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the devastating Paradise wildfire in 2018, and the company was charged a $4 million fine with no criminal probation or jail time for any of those on the board of directors.
In the past month, there have been a number of fires in the Bay Area that have caused a great deal of smoke in the air. The thick smoke, along with the threat of displacement, injury or death have become yet another danger for regular people just trying to live their lives on top of the uncertainty of living through this pandemic. If public safety is left up to PG&E and other profit making corporations, we can expect more of the same: they will profit while destroying the environment and our lives, and get off with a slap on the wrist.
featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons