Hartford meteorologist says talk of climate change affecting LA fires is ‘a bridge too far’

Hartford Meteorologist Ashley Baylor thinks now is not the time to talk about climate change as the underlying cause of the fires that ravaged Los Angeles.

Baylor is a meteorologist at WTNH in Hartford, Connecticut. She expressed her views on when things are appropriate in a response to a meteorologist’s X post. Chris Gloningerwho stopped working on local television after received death threats of a MAGA guy to talk about climate change on the air. He now works for an environmental consulting organization in Massachusetts.

In his messageGloninger encouraged the media to talk about the impacts of climate change on the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Canyon Fire and “etc”.

“Your coverage has been remarkable, BUT you have FAILED to connect the dots,” he said. “I’ve done the work for you – you just have to share it,” referring to an article he wrote for the Association for Fire Ecology containing data dating back to 1860.

Below is the text of Baylor’s response to Gloninger’s tweet:

Chris, you and I have been friends over the years. I respected you as a fellow meteorologist even though we didn’t always share the same views and opinions. But that’s a bridge too far. You were an on-air meteorologist. Right now, Los Angeles is still burning and tens of thousands of people are feeling an immense sense of loss. This is NOT the time for the media to discuss the impact of climate. This is the time for us to do our job. Our job is to inform our viewers about the immediate impacts… to tell people how they can stay safe… or to answer the question “How can we help?” “. The reporters/meteorologists/anchors/photographers did a phenomenal job in their coverage. And unfortunately, some of them will have nothing to return home with. Once these fires are extinguished and the proverbial dust has settled, we can then discuss the impact of climate change. But not now.