Fires were once wild in the same way that animals were once wild: Their existence just unfolded, and human activity was irrelevant. Today, humans have taken control of most of the causes of wildfires, and we have used our control to enthusiastically increase the frequency and severity of fires. Our influence over the land, the vegetation, the air and the water is so dominant, that it is now impossible for a fire to happen without being influenced by humans.

Fires are no longer truly wild. And yet, they are not domesticated either. Our influence lets us create them, but not control them. To understand our quandary and find our way out, we need society to understand the ways that our energy, food, industry, and economy aggravate fires by aggravating the climate emergency. Calling these fires "climate fires" helps us understand them for what they are.

Thank you to Governor Jay Inslee for bringing this term to my attention and spreading the word.

Thank you for the original photography: NASA, Luke Flynt, and Melody P.