To visualize the hellishness of the climate crisis in 2021, look no further than General Sherman, the world’s largest tree, wrapped in fire-resistant foil to protect the legendary giant sequoia from flames burning a path of destruction through the Sierra Nevada.

Something remarkable is happening in the Northeast San Fernando Valley communities of Pacoima and Sun Valley – something that shows how the U.S. can fight climate change while building healthier, more livable and more prosperous communities for all.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are from spending time at our local parks in Los Angeles – on the playground with my brothers, learning to swim at the pool and picnicking on the grass.

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill now headed to President Biden’s desk includes the largest amount of money ever spent by the United States to prepare the nation to withstand the devastating impacts of climate change.

On Monday, the Alisal Fire in Southern California burned through more than 13,000 acres in a 24-hour period, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. Along with it came power shutoffs for tens of thousands of Californians in 23 counties across the state — a disruptive but increasingly unavoidable tactic to reduce the risk of additional fires from downed power lines.

More than half of Los Angeles County residents — about 5.7 million people — live in communities deemed “highly exposed” to severe climate impacts now and through 2050, according to a study released today by the county’s Chief Sustainability Office.

Thousands of residences and businesses in San Diego County face increasing threats of flooding in the coming decades — and the cost of insurance for that will increase for many properties.

Swaths of northern and central California were put under a red flag warning early this week as strong winds topping 50 miles per hour descended on the region. The Alisal Fire erupted in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara on Monday afternoon. It burned some 4,000 acres by nightfall, prompting evacuations along the Central Coast and shuttering part of Highway 101.

Marcia Fudge, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, toured Oakland’s Fruitvale Transit Village on Thursday and called it a national model for building housing on transit corridors amid the state’s escalating housing and homelessness crisis.

While it remains to be seen what promises will be made — and likely broken — at the 26th annual UN Climate Change Conference in Scotland next month, you need not travel to Glasgow to see climate denialism in action. Sacramento County has that well in hand.