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How climate change fueled the LA fires

The Palisades Fire that started in the City of Los Angelas, January 2025.

CAL FIRE
The Palisades Fire that started in the City of Los Angelas, January 2025.

On this edition of Your Call’s Media roundtable, we discuss a recent investigation about how a deceptive PR strategy pioneered in 1950s California first exposed the risk of climate change and then helped the industry deny it.

We'll also discuss media coverage of the devastating fires, and efforts to kill a California bill that would have forced major fossil fuel companies to contribute to a fund, which would pay for climate disasters.

Guests:

Aaron Cantu, award-winning investigative journalist covering gas and oil in California for the Capital & Main

Rebecca John, investigative climate journalist and research Fellow at the Climate Investigations Center

Resources:

Capital and Main: How Climate Change Fueled Deadly Los Angeles Fires

DeSmog: Revealed: Big Oil Told 70 Years Ago That Fossil Fuel Emissions Could Impact ‘Civilization’

The Climate Center: Big oil was instrumental in crafting a California tax policy that now costs billions in revenue, report reveals

The Guardian: Big oil pushed to kill bill that would have made them pay for wildfire disasters

Malihe Razazan is the senior producer of KALW's daily call-in program, Your Call.