Obviously there are the climate change denialists who think “global elites” have paid actors setting forest fires around the globe, but there are also reputable people saying this. When I hear arson, I hear a person starting a fire with malicious intent. Are there really massive numbers of malicious firestarters around the globe, or does arson also cover things like recklessness/carelessness, like if I burn trash in my backyard or start a campfire on the woods and it gets out of control?
I think arson is a scapegoat in a lot of incidents, but it definitely happens. For example someone in my town was struggling with psychosis and attempted to burn down a business, probably because in their reality it housed some really evil stuff. Another person was angry at my agency and unsuccessfully tried to set the building on fire. It must be blown super out of proportion though and I'll bet that arson is attributed to accidental fires, though, to avoid climate change conversations and just freak people out.