The Disaster At Burning Man Is A Chance To Teach People About Climate Change:
This year, after approximately half an inch of rain fell in what is usually the driest state within the country, many people got stuck in the mud. Instead of leaving no sign, many people who call themselves “burners” left their bikes and cars in the dirty, wet Black Rock Desert.
Burning Man used to be a secret party for free spirits, but now it’s a place where Hollywood stars, Silicon Valley tech bros, as well as jet-set elites go to party. The most recent event shows how harsh weather can quickly and drastically change the environment. This will happen more often in the future.
Anya Kamenetz, who was at Burning Man but had to leave because of the weather, said, “It’s a teachable moment when it comes to climate disasters as well as extreme weather.”
On Monday Afternoon, People Finally Started Leaving Black Rock City:
“This is mostly just a practice run under really, really easy conditions for what a lot of individuals go throughout.”
People finally started leaving Black Rock City upon Monday afternoon. Thousands of people had been stuck there all weekend because of floods and mud. Sheriff Jerry Allen of Pershing County said that people “lashed out” at each other while they stood in long lines to depart the desert during the mass flight.
“As is usual in what Burners call the ‘default world,’ people are letting their emotions get the best of them, and as they leave the playa, they’re lashing out at each other,” he tells the San Francisco Chronicle.
Leon Reece Was Discovered Unconscious On Friday Evening At 6:24 Local Time, When It Was Pouring Rain In The Area:
Leon Reece, 32, was found unconscious Friday night approximately 6:24 p.m. local time, as it was pouring rain in the area, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen stated within a statement Monday night, as reported by The Daily Beast, The New York Post, as well as The Reno Gazette-Journal.
I can see that Burning Man, an event where more than 70,000 people meet to enjoy art, music, silliness, and joy in the quiet and beautiful northwestern Nevada desert, is going for the edge of the climate emergency. Even if it doesn’t go anywhere or stop, it will change.
Climate change is not the cause of any single storm. But state officials say that floods will happen more often in Nevada as storms get stronger and snow turns to rain because of rising temperatures.
Climate activists stopped a road into Burning Man on August 27 to protest the festival’s effect on the environment.
People Left Behind More Than Usual, Such As Cars:
As people leave the camp, this year’s event is likely to confirm what critics have said for a long time: that the festival leaves trash in the towns around it and doesn’t live up to its eco-friendly goals.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen stated that as people walked a long way to get out of the event, they left more than normal behind, including cars.
At first, a few drops of rain helped settle a few of the dust that had been blowing around the camp. But by Friday night, it didn’t stop raining, and it didn’t take much rain to make the playa wet.
“By the time we fell asleep that night, it was clear that this was likely to be something that was going to shut down the city,” stated Kamenetz, who runs a Substack journal about climate change.
Leon Reece Died While The Event Was Going On, Yet The Reason Of His Death Remains Unresolved:
By the time Saturday morning came, the burners were stuck. Kamenetz said that the people who stayed put together a camp meeting. No more baths or washing dishes. No more using temporary toilets for anything other than solid trash.
The individual who died at the event has been named as Leon Reece, who was 32 years old. Reece’s death is still being investigated, yet the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office stated within a statement on Tuesday that drug use was likely to blame. Organizers said that people were able to depart Black Rock City upon Monday afternoon.
On Monday, About 7,000 People Went Through The Airport:
A Monday afternoon statement posted to the festival’s website said, “Please know that things are getting better and the roads are drying, but the playa remains muddy and it may be hard to get around in certain neighborhoods and down some streets.”
As of Tuesday morning, the Burning Man Traffic account upon X said that the “exodus” traffic jam would take five hours to clear up. Sunday said that TSA data showed that around 7,000 people went through the airport on Monday.
On a normal day, between 4,000 and 6,000 people go through the airport. Lee is still planning to go to Burning Man next year, even though she wants to bring more boots as well as ponchos in case of bad weather.
She said that even the hard rain made a happy, art-filled memory. This past weekend, when it stopped raining for a short time, people went out into the streets and made mud art, like clay minions, Buddhas, as well as snowmen.
