If you want a real-world case study in how progressive environmental policies can backfire—with literal flames—look no further than California. Trump’s Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently took the gloves off and laid out the ugly truth during a podcast appearance on *Pod Force One*. His target? California’s climate change circus, run by none other than Governor Gavin “Hair Gel” Newsom.
Now, California will tell you they’re leading the nation in climate policy. Solar panels, electric cars, plastic straw bans—you name it, they’ve regulated it. But there’s one thing they haven’t figured out: how to stop their forests from turning into raging infernos every summer. Burgum didn’t mince words: “The fires in California have released more CO₂ than all of their efforts to control CO₂.”
Let that sink in. While Newsom struts around talking about carbon neutrality, California’s forests are belching more carbon into the sky than a fleet of gas-guzzling pickup trucks. And why? Because instead of managing the forests responsibly—doing controlled burns, clearing dead brush, and letting loggers do their job—California’s been too busy worshipping at the altar of The Green New Deal.
Controlled burns, something Native Americans did for centuries, have been all but forgotten. Why? Because environmental activists, backed by the Democratic machine, made sure to shackle forest management with lawsuits, red tape, and “climate justice” mandates. And when the U.S. Forest Service temporarily halted prescribed burns in 2024—for safety concerns, of all things—it only made the problem worse. Now the forests are like tinderboxes, just waiting for a spark.
And speaking of sparks, let’s talk about the people in charge. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has been busy pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals instead of making sure the fire department is staffed with the toughest, most qualified firefighters around. Look, nobody’s saying diversity doesn’t matter—but when your state is on fire, maybe your top priority should be, I don’t know, *putting out the fire*?
It doesn’t end there. After wildfires destroy homes and livelihoods, rebuilding should be a top priority. But if you’re a homeowner in California, good luck. Comedian Adam Carolla, a rare voice of reason in Hollywood, pointed out how the state’s insane environmental regulations make rebuilding a bureaucratic nightmare. Newsom promised to speed up permits, but then turned around and told victims they’d have to rebuild under tighter green codes. Because nothing says “compassion” like telling someone who just lost their house that they’ll need solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system before they can move back in.
Burgum also took aim at the Endangered Species Act, which in California has been weaponized to stop logging and other common-sense forest practices. So while bureaucrats cry about protecting obscure insects, the entire state burns and the air fills with more smoke than a 1970s bowling alley.
Let’s call it what it is: a climate policy scam. California’s Democrats aren’t solving the climate crisis—they’re feeding it. They’ve traded sound forest management for virtue signaling and photo ops. And the result? Deadlier fires, skyrocketing emissions, and lives turned upside down.
Doug Burgum is right to call this out. Americans need to stop being hypnotized by slick speeches and start demanding results. Climate change is real—but so is the cost of bad leadership. And under Democrats, California has become the poster child for what happens when ideology trumps reality.
So the next time you hear a liberal lecturing you about climate change, ask them how many trees burned down in their “green utopia” last year. Better yet, ask them if they even know what a controlled burn is. Because at this rate, the only thing California’s climate policy is good at reducing is common sense.