FEMA administrator Peter Gaynor repeatedly declined to answer on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday whether he believes human activity is responsible for climate change, instead saying, "I'm going to leave all that up to the scientists."
Why it matters: It is an overwhelming scientific consensus that greenhouse gases emitted by human activity are a driving factor of climate change. While President Trump has frequently denied this consensus, his own administration has published reports concluding there is no credible explanation for modern-day global warming other than the burning of fossil fuels.
Flash flooding in Afghanistan killed at least 160 people and injured hundreds of others this week, though rescuers are continuing to search for missing people on Saturday, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The Ministry for Disaster Management said thirteen provinces were affected by flooding, including Parwan Province — just north of country's capital Kabul — where 116 people were killed, more than 120 injured and 15 people still missing.
A wave of cooler temperatures and humidity is quelling the wildfires that spread across California in recent weeks, allowing thousands of evacuated residents to return to their homes, AP reports.
The big picture: At least seven people have died as hundred of wildfires burned 2,000 square miles. Approximately 170,000 residents were facing evacuation orders at the fires' peak.
