Wildfires Across the Globe

Elleson Connelly '24
Wildfires are some of nature’s most dangerous, unpredictable, and uncontrollable forms of disaster. In the United States, over 700 wildfires occur yearly, burning approximately 7 million acres of land. Our government spends over 5 billion dollars to fight fires each year, but what, if anything, are we doing to prevent these fires? What if we are the cause more than we are the solution?
This year, our world experienced historic wildfires caused by similarly record-breaking heatwaves. In the United States, the Dixie Fire in Northern California has become the largest wildfire in California’s history. Across the globe, Italy, Turkey, and Greece are experiencing similarly devastating fires. In these areas, temperatures have surpassed 115 degrees Fahrenheit, and the fires are the worst they have been in at least a decade. Less known, though equally devastating, are the wildfires in Siberia. This region has lost nearly 20,000 square miles of vegetation, which is around the size of West Virginia. These fires have had disastrous effects on the environment due to the smoke and debris that land on the ice in the Artic Circle. The particulate matter from the smoke has the ability to accelerate ice melting because the dark surface absorbs heat faster. All of these fires are worse than they have ever been, and they are only setting the stage for worse ones in years to come.
 
Wildfires burn at temperatures of more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, twice as hot as the surface of Venus. Their flames have the capability of reaching 50 meters and can spread twice as fast as the average human can run. They are virtually unstoppable with human efforts, yet over 90% of all wildfires are caused by us. Humans directly cause wildfires with carelessness related to smoking, campfires, burning debris, fireworks, and machinery accidents, along with indirect causation from pollution increasing the temperatures of Earth and creating ideal conditions for wildfires. The hot, dry weather with strong winds that we experience often in the summer only assists in the spread of wildfires, both natural and human-induced.
 
The long-term effects are even more expansive than the damage caused initially. The fires destroy ecosystems and biodiversity in many areas, sometimes decimating the habitats of endangered species. Among the most well-known effects is air pollution. When plant life is killed off by the wildfires, the quality of our air declines and the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere increases, which in turn leads to climate change, ironically the original cause of worsening wildfires. The damage is cyclical and shows next to no signs of improvement.
 
Though we may not be able to do anything about wildfires on a worldwide scale, there are many small things do to prevent the problems from getting worse through our own actions. We can be conscientious about where we build fires and be sure to douse them until they are cold. We can avoid using fireworks when the conditions are not ideal and avoid burning debris when it is windy. Our planet is only getting worse, and though we caused the problem, we are the only ones able to fix it.
Sources

    • Photo: Wildfires devastate the Western coast (National Interagency Fire Center)

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