Pitch Letter for Final Feature

 September 26, 2021

 

Ralph Nichols

Journalism Instructor

San Jose State University

One Washington Square

San Jose, CA 95152

 

Dear professor Nichols,

 California has been struck yet again by a vicious fire season. Destructive infernos displacing people and destroying crops have always been in the headlines in a typical fire season, but side effects of global warming are now pushing these natural disasters to the next level.

Each year it feels like we have had more fires than before, and the one or two big ones that we have had in years past are now starting to become three, four, or five huge ones. In the future, these fires will add up and have a significant impact on all Californians with an increase in air pollution and contribute to global warming. Californians are already feeling the impact of the fires by burning crops and precious natural resources, driving up the prices for everyday goods.

As a young person, I am looking at both these fire seasons and global warming as a new reality over the course of my life. The California fires are just one example of a cavalcade of extreme weather events showing increased evidence that the effects of global warming are knocking on our front doors.

Scientists have just proven without a doubt that humans have set into course an irreversible change in earth’s climate that will affect us for centuries to come. One of the biggest problems with the fight against climate change is its enigmatic nature as a slowly encroaching menace that is not as easily perceived as other more pressing threats. Climate change has exposed a flaw in human nature to prioritize the short term over the long term, but we are now living in a time where we are experiencing the short term symptoms of a long term problem, with intense California wildfires being one of these symptoms. 

For this story I want to interview San Jose State’s professors in the science departments, CalFire workers, and students that will be facing climate change over the course of their lifetime to better understand the collective attitude towards our changing climate and its shorter term impacts in California.

Best Regards,

Thomas Christian

(340 words)

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