I know. I know. Climate change is to blame for the terrible fires in Maui. But wait! #Colonialism destroyed stable ecosystems
#sugarplantations #destructionofnativevegetation #invasiveplants

"plantation closures in Hawaii allowed highly flammable nonnative grasses to spread on idled lands, providing the fuel for huge blazes." "Varieties like guinea grass, molasses grass and buffel grass — which originated in Africa and were introduced to Hawaii as livestock forage"

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/us/hawaii-wildfire-factors.html

How Invasive Plants Caused the Maui Fires to Rage

A sweeping series of plantation closures in Hawaii allowed highly flammable nonnative grasses to spread on idled lands, providing the fuel for huge blazes.

The New York Times