Real News Talks with Jake Smith: How Bad Policy Fuels Wildfires

0:00

-2:05:46

Thank you to Jake Smith for inviting me on Real News Talk to discuss wildfires and the need for improved forest management. This episode of RNT was recorded on August 5, 2026 and is available on RealNewsTalk.com, Apple Podcasts, and Overcast.

My portion of the show runs from the 56:24 to 1:05:58.

How Bad Policy Fuels Wildfires

The Canadian wildfires that sent smoke across the Midwest and Eastern states this summer are, in this view, a reminder of how ideology and short term thinking drive poor forest management rather than a symptom of a changing climate. (National Review)

• Are the recent wildfires in Europe and Washington state also rooted in poor forest management?

• Green activists have pointed to climate change as the driver behind the wildfires and argued for forgoing fossil fuels, but the segment argues that higher taxes and a weaker economy will not stop wildfires or change the climate.

• For the most part, wildfires trace back to people and lightning, not a changing climate.

Guest: Jason Hayes, Senior Research Fellow for Energy and Environment at The Heritage Foundation (bio)