The Truth About Wildfires

Day, Carr, Zaca, Rim, Cedar. These are just some of the California wildfires that have had human related causes. Wild fires are large, uncontrolled fires that spread rapidly over areas of dry brush or woodland. They can have many causes like lightning and power lines, however in most cases, it is human error that causes them. For example, the causes of some of the most recent California wildfires were unattended campfires and gender reveal parties to name a few. Wild fires pose a great danger to all aspects of our lives, however, what many people tend to forget is that wildfires pose an even greater danger to the environment.

When we think of wildfires, one of the names many people remember is California. This state is one of the world's most wildfire-prone areas. From 2011 to 2020, there were an average of 62,805 wildfires annually. The sad truth about the frequency of fires in California is that they are most often started by humans. The incidence of wildfires here in California has gotten to the point where there is a marked "Wildfire season" during the summer that is usually five months long. As a result, the environment has suffered, making the air more unhealthy and creating more dead patches of land that are barren and can no longer support life. However, this isn't even the most sinister of the effect of wildfires. The most sinister are the ones we cannot see.

Wildfires are killing us slowly. They release carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, which increases the rate to climate change. If you remember from the last article, agriculture releases methane into the atmosphere, leading to global warming and climate change. Now, add more potent greenhouse gases into the mix and you have a more deadly effect on climate change. This is why wildfires are such an important topic regarding the environment and climate change because they are one of the leading causes of climate change around the world.

With the already dire situation our planet is in, more and more focus has been put on education and prevention of wildfires, but is it really possible to prevent a wildfire? Well, yes and no. No one can control the weather, which is why causes of wildfires like lightning are not the focus. Even then, lighting accounts only 44% of wildfires, which even though it sounds like a large number, it means that 56% is caused by other factors. Those other factors are dominated by humans and our negligence. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to reduce the number of wildfires caused by humans, and they include reporting unattended fires, extinguishing fire pits when done, not throwing cigarettes from a car, being cautious, only using fireworks in open areas, and remaining aware.

As I have previously stated, it starts with us to make a positive change in our climate crisis, and the same applies here. It takes an individual being aware of the causes and knowing how to be responsible with fire in order to reduce the frequency of wildfires in areas prone to getting them, which will eventually reduce our impact on the environment, slowing the rate of climate change and getting us one step closer to saving our planet and ourselves.