Violet Affleck Reflects on LA Wildfires in Yale Essay

New Haven, Connecticut – Yale University freshman Violet Affleck shared her experiences during the devastating January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires in an essay published in the school’s Global Health Review. The 19-year-old recalled emotional arguments with her mother, actress Jennifer Garner, as they sheltered in a hotel away from the destruction in the Pacific Palisades.

Violet’s paper, titled “A Chronically Ill Earth: COVID Organizing as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles,” begins with a vivid recounting of her experience during the fires. “I spent the January fires in Los Angeles arguing with my mother in a hotel room,” she wrote, highlighting her mother’s astonishment at the scale of the disaster.

Garner, 53, was described by Violet as being “shell-shocked, astonished at the scale of destruction” of their hometown. In contrast, Violet expressed her confusion over her mother’s surprise, saying, “As a lifelong Angelena and climate-literate member of generation Z, my question had not been whether the Palisades would burn but when.”

The essay also notes Violet’s observations about conversations with other adults at the hotel, who voiced concerns over the rebuilding costs and the duration of recovery. She highlighted a moment with her younger brother, Samuel, 13, who questioned, “Did global warming have to do with the speed of the wind?” Violet remarked, “Hopefully, most of us understand the climate crisis better than my little brother.”

Violet described climate change as “existential and accelerating,” linking it to societal patterns of consumption driven by wealth. She urged a reevaluation of public health responses during climate disasters and called for recognition of the methodologies and political commitments of marginalized communities affected by both climate change and the pandemic.

The young scholar concluded her paper with a plea for people to engage deeply with the climate crisis, advocating for proactive measures to tackle its consequences, including the type of devastating fires seen in Los Angeles.