Wildfires

Welcome back to Green World,

In the last few months, wildfires have been raging across the globe. Hawaii, Canada, the USA, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Tunisia and countless more have been affected. But what are the environmental impacts of such a blaze?

The USA has had an average of over 70 000 wildfires a year since 2000. In 2020, Californian wildfires emitted more than 90 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is more than the state's power industry emits per year. It is estimated that humans start 87% of wildfires. Around the world, 4 million squ. km are hit by wildfires every single year. This emits vast amounts of carbon dioxide, which fuels climate change. The smoke causes air pollution in the entire surrounding area and can lead to respiratory problems in humans. The air pollution also kills birds, including those migrating through the area. Studies also show that socially vulnerable populations are more at risk of harm from wildfires, similary to the fact that the global south is more at risk from climate change than the global north.

Due to the mass loss of vegetation, erosion increases significantly causing waterways to become unstable. The soil contains less nutrients and there is a much higher risk of disease or pest outbreaks. Most surviving animals are left without food or shelter. Forest vegetation is a vital carbon sink and with that gone, the amount of CO2 that the forest can extract from the atmosphere is lessened. The burned vegetation is full of nitrogen and phosphorus, which can lead to blooms of harmful algae. The soil absorbs less water, putting the surroundings at risk of floods and flash floods. The water also contains more nitrogen and dissolved carbon dioxide, which reduces the drinking water quality for over a decade.

There are actually a few benefits of wildfires. They are an important driver of natural selection and evolution as only the strongest and most resourceful species can survive. Some bird species benefit from the burnt wood for foraging and fleeing animals are an easy target for birds of prey. There are also some plant species who require fires to be able to produce and disperse their seeds. So wildfires are a natural occurrence similar to floods. However it’s the size and frequency of them in recent years that is so destructive.

However, all in all wildfires do a lot more harm than good as they destroy the biodiversity of the forest. And we can't forget the thousands of people that die in the blazes every year or lose family, friends and homes.

Your Green World Blog Team💚

Sources:
https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-wildfires/
https://earth.org/impact-of-wildfires/
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/where-europe-wildfires-locations-summer-countries-b1099384.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02707-1
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230919154844.htm

Images:
Forest Wildfire, owned by Project LM (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Idaho wildfire, owned by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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