This past fall saw some of the deadliest wildfires that California has ever seen and many residents are still getting back on their feet after the massive devastation. This weekend, Red Hot Chili Peppers will join with Beck and St. Vincent to play the Love Sesh benefit for the Malibu Foundation, and ahead of the event, Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis co-wrote an op ed piece for Rolling Stone calling for a push to help solve what he calls "the greatest threat to humankind," the climate crisis.

"California is on the front lines of the climate crisis. In 2017, Ventura was hit with the state’s then-largest wildfire burning nearly 300,000 acres. In early 2018, 23 people died in the Montecito mudslides. Later in the year, the Camp Fire left the town of Paradise in total ruin, killing 86 people. At the same time, the Woolsey Fire destroyed 1,643 structures, killed three people and prompted the evacuation of more than 295,000 residents," starts the piece, running down some of the key stats.

It continues, "These extreme weather events are going to accelerate if we don’t act now. The toll on human life and the environment is unfathomable. These events also come with a monumental price tag. New figures released this week show 2018 global disasters cost $160 billion. A third of that total came from just four events in the U.S., with California’s Camp Fire being the costliest disaster of 2018 at $16.5 billion."

The Malibu Foundation has been key in helping provide emergency relief assistance, but more needs to be done. During Sunday's music event, Sen. Henry Stern is expected to respond by announcing a resolution endorsing a declaration of a climate emergency for the state of California. If passed, this resolution will urgently address the threat of climate change in an aggressive way. It will call on the state to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions towards zero net emissions, quickly adopt resilience and adaptation strategies, put vulnerable communities at the forefront of climate mobilization efforts, transition from industrial agriculture to regenerative farming and overhaul the transportation system, among other things."

Kiedis and the co-authors write, "It’s time for our state and local governments to step in. According to the landmark report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we have only 12 years left to mitigate climate change. The clock is ticking. We need to come together and help solve the greatest threat to humankind and embrace our responsibility to be good stewards of the planet for future generations. Join us by pressuring your elected official to declare a climate emergency in your state and city."

Learn more about how you can help The Malibu Foundation here and investigate how you can help with climate mobilization at this location.

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