Global warming is an ongoing environmental disaster for which humans are to blame. Human activities including the fossil fuel burning, deforestation, and livestock farming have steadily increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and raised the planet's overall temperature. Many wildfires are caused in part by global warming.

Beginning in October 2017, northern California experienced one of the most deadly and destructive wildfire seasons in history. More than 170 fires were identified and at least 12 were caused by PG&E electric power lines, which caught fire after failing or coming into contact with trees. Higher temperatures associated with global warming and drought created ideal burn conditions and the fires scorched an estimated 245,000 acres of land in total.

 The 2017 California wildfires took the lives of at least 47 firefighters and civilians and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.