Biden sees shortages to stop climate-change fueled wildfires

Josh Boak/AP

Updated: Jul 30, 2021 / 12:28 PM CDT

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 30: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and west coast Governors in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on July 30, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with governors to discuss their state’s individual wildfire prevention efforts as the 2021 Wildfire season continues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is sounding the alarm about the need for more resources to fight a series of wildfires in western states, as climate change has worsened the spread and ferocity of the blazes.

“Our resources are already being stretched to keep up,” Biden told a bipartisan group of governors at a virtual meeting Friday. “We need more help.”

The president opened the meeting with a nod to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who sought the Democratic nomination for president against Biden by stressing the threats from climate change. The mix of intense heat, droughts and other events tied to rising average temperatures has turned the fires into a national challenge as the smoke is worsening air quality as far away as New York City.

“Jay, you’re beginning to convince the American people there is a thing called climate crisis,” the president said at the start of his remarks, before reeling through a series of troubling numbers.

US President Joe Biden holds a map of the Western United States region during a meeting with state governors on wildfire prevention and preparedness in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, in Washington, DC on July 30, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

It was the second meeting between Biden and the governors, and the situation has only worsened since the first, putting a strain on aircraft, hoses and other supplies.

“Since our last meeting, the number of large uncontained wildfires has nearly doubled to 66 fires,” Biden said. “The number of firefighters on the job to battle them has tripled. Over 3.4 million acres have already burned.”

The Washington governor took the opportunity to discuss the shortage of supplies to stop the fires. But he said his biggest worry is that Biden’s agenda to reduce carbon emissions and limit climate change won’t clear Congress.

“That’s going to ultimately decide whether these forests survive in the next century,” Inslee said.

Other governors attending the virtual meeting included: Oregon’s Kate Brown, Montana’s Greg Gianforte, Wyoming’s Mark Gordon, Idaho’s Brad Little, California’s Gavin Newsom and Minnesota’s Tim Walz.