This morning, Elon Musk tweeted the Sierra Club should be “defunded” in an attempt to distract from the climate crisis fueling the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles region.
As people flee their homes and lives are being lost, we cannot let this go unanswered, and we will not let Elon Musk’s tirade against us and the environmental movement go unchecked.
Los Angeles is burning and its people are hurting. Now is not the time to sow division and breed confusion. What is happening to the Greater Los Angeles area isn’t just a tragedy – it’s a climate-fueled crisis. Our hearts are with the thousands of families who are gripped by fear, loss, and uncertainty right now. We are in awe of the courageous first responders working around the clock to save American lives and livelihoods.
As the world's richest man and de facto co-president of the United States, Elon Musk should do better with his influence. He’s a former Sierra Club donor who knows we don’t receive public funding, which makes it even clearer this is an attempt to take us down. In our 130-year history, we haven’t dealt with a shadow president billionaire trying to weaponize social media and climate denial against us. But since we’re here, we’ll set the record straight.
The Sierra Club has always supported science-based, responsible forest management and protecting our communities from fire. The fires in the LA region are “fast fires” propelled by strong winds that started in dry grasslands and shrublands.
The climate crisis makes strong winds, extensive drought, and higher temperatures worse – that is the driving force behind these fires. Instead of making false claims and pointing fingers, those in power should be working to make sure that Los Angeles can rebuild and recover, and put an end to climate devastation threatening communities across the country.
This type of nonsense is harmful, and it’s insulting. It’s insulting to the hundreds of thousands of people being devastated by these fires, and to the grassroots movement working every day to protect our future while Musk and Trump put oil executives in charge of our climate policy.
We thank and lift up the leadership of our Angeles Chapter responding and getting the truth out about these fires. The Sierra Club will always work towards our century plus mission to Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the planet – in all 50 states and DC and Puerto Rico – no matter what anyone says.