Smoke of sorrow

The smoke from November California fires has blown into Portland, bringing with it what is left of at least 59 people (and 200 more unaccounted for and perhaps dead), thousands of homes, whole towns, forests, deer, birds, and all manner of wildlife. These roaring fires, coming after 7 years of drought, are fierce and so fast-moving that they outrun automobiles. This is what climate change looks like. Many of those whose homes burned to the ground were poor, aged, or disabled, and we are hearing that they cannot be resettled in California because there is no more housing for the poor in that State. They are now unhoused climate refugees. 

Some say these are end times for life as we have known it on this planet, and that unchecked corporations and billionaires, denying science and hoarding money beyond the imagination of ordinary people, are the root of the problem. Besides our President, that would include people like Jeff Bezos of Amazon, who makes, every 9 seconds, as much money as the average Amazon employee makes in a year. Each day, $275 million. In a world on fire. 

P.S.This photo was made at mid-day.