According to a poll conducted by YouGov for The Economist from Aug. 12-15, 37 percent of Americans believed that the recent wildfires in Maui are primarily the result of climate change, while a similar share (36 percent) said these events just happen from time to time, and 21 percent said they weren’t sure. But under those topline numbers, there’s a big partisan divide. According to the poll, 63 percent of voters who supported President Biden in 2020 think that the recent wildfires in Maui are primarily the result of climate change, while the same share of Trump voters just think these things happen from time to time.
No surprise there. Personally I think both are true, and also that the local power company likely shares some blame because both climate change and “things happen” are good reasons to take extra precautions.