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.

Comments

Energy comparison: solar (PV) panels

Hi everyone, Today I'm looking into the first on a long list of energy sources: solar (PV) panels. Are they actually sustainable and could they become our main energy source in the near future? After all, enough energy from the sun reaches the earth in 90 minutes to cover the entire world's energy consumption for a whole year! How they work There are a couple of ways to transform energy from the sun into electricity. The one we are looking at today is solar panels also known as solar photovoltaic technology. Photovoltaic (PV) technology is the key to solar panels. A solar panel is made of many PV cells. A single PV cell will produce 1-2 watts of power. They are very thin and are normally protected by glass and/or plastics. This is the best explanation I could find (click here for the source): When the semiconductor is exposed to light, it absorbs the light’s energy and transfers it to negatively charged particles in the material calle...

16.08.2020 Animal of the week: Elephant

Hello. On the 12th of August it was International Elephant Day, so we decided that this week's post should be about elephants. Elephants are the largest living land mammals. There are three types of elephant; the African bush elephant; the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. African elephants have larger ears, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears. Elephants use their trunks to breath, bring food and drink to their mouths and to grasp objects. Elephants' legs are like pillars. They carry the Elephant's massive weight. African bush elephants weigh 6000kg, Asian elephants weigh 4000kg and African forest elephants weigh 2700kg. Basically, they are very heavy.Elephants eat grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots. Elephants can live up to 70 years old in the wild. They communicate by sight, touch and smell. Sadly, these wonderful mammals are in danger. African elephants are listed as vulne...

Discussion || Should Everyone Switch To Electric Cars?

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for joining me today, as I hop on the blog to discuss whether everyone switching to electric cars would really help the environment. In other words, should everyone switch to electric cars? This is the first part of a two-part series, discussing electric cars, so stay tuned for part two!! I would like to start this post by stating that I am by no means an expert. This is knowledge I have from my own experience, and from research I have done. If anything is incorrect please take it as it is and accept that this is a discussion and I am taking on board all opinions from reliable sources on this complex topic. Electric cars are a huge topic when it comes to sustainability and "saving our planet". There is no debating the fact that electric cars are better for the environment than diesel or petrol once they are on the road. But the production of them is often very polluting, with one study show...

Air pollution

Hi Everyone, Today we're talking about air pollution. We've all heard about air pollution, normally in connection to cars, coal mines or planes. But what are the consequences of too much air pollution and what can we do about it? One type of air pollution is known as PM2.5. These are particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. This means that we cannot see them without technology such as microscopes. They are produced in a number of different ways including power generation, motor traffic, domestic heating and chemical reactions taking place in the air around us. Although these particles are very small and "invisible", they can cause a lot of damage. Research data now shows links between this form of air pollution and cancers, premature births, diabetes (especially type 2) and heart and lung disease. It is shown to cause 400 000 deaths across Europe every year. Unfortunately this form of air pollution is widespread. A guardian article explains how in Europe alone...

Private jets - are they really as bad as people say?

Hello everyone, On social media, they will be an uproar every few months because some celebrity used a private jet to get somewhere. Today, I'll be talking about whether these flights really are as bad as they seem or whether social media is just making a big deal out of nothing. Emissions: private jets vs public flights Private jets are 5 to 15 times worse than commercial flights per passenger. Also, private flights are normally not 4 hours long, some of them are only 20 to 30 minutes! These flights are worse because taking off and landing emit more greenhouse gases . With a flight that's only 20 or so minutes, you've only got 10 minutes at the most where you're actually flying 'normally'. So when it comes to emissions, private jets are very bad for the environment. Morals You can't talk about private jets without talking about the morals involved. The first moral problem with private jets is the people who use them....

The Responsible Traveller by Karen Edwards || a practical guide to reducing your environmental and social impact // BOOK REVIEW

HI Everyone! Our January monthly post was a zero-waste challenge, but as we explained in our 2023 wrap up , this year we will be alternating a monthly challenge with a book review, of course related to the environment. This week, I'm going to share a recommendation for a fantastic book, all about how you can travel more sustainably and responsibly. I absolutely love travelling, but I'm also very aware of the impact it has on the world, and I am very keen to learn more about how I can further reduce my impact. That's why I bought this book around a year ago, and I've really enjoyed reading it and learning from it. This is a practical, small-format guide, sharing both basic information about the climate crisis and the impact of various travel activities, and how you can do your bit. It shares specific journeys that are more environmentally friendly options, for example long distance train journeys such as The Alaskan Railroad with its stunning alpine forests and wide ar...

10 Animals on the Edge of Extinction No. 10- The Javan Rhino

The Javan rhino is listed as the 1st animal on WWF’s list of the 10 world’s most endangered animals, and I for my part, had never heard of it! If you hadn’t either, we’re changing that now. A bit about the rhino’s lifestyle The Javan rhinos are now exclusively found on the island of Java in Indonesia, but were once found in vast regions of northeast india and Southeast Asia. They have a dark grey colour which looks almost black when wet, and their (often pink) skin folds look a bit like plated armor. Both males and females have lower incisors which resemble tusks that they use to fight. Males have one relatively short horn of about 25 cm (10 inches). Javan Rhinos live in tropical forests, marshy areas and in the thick bush. They are mainly browsers and eat over 100 plants species they find in the forest, weigh between 900 and 2300 kg (1984-5071 pounds) and are between 3 and 3.2 meters (10- 10.5 feet) long. How endangered are we talking? Javan rhinos are the most ...

July 2021 Factfile - some news from the past month, animals and plants!

Hi Everyone, July is over and August is here. This month we've divided the 'News' section into 'Good news' and 'Bad news'. This will hopefully make the post more structured and easier to navigate. News Good news: Pandas classified as vulnerable Giants pandas are now classified as vulnerable according to Chinese officials. They were originally classed as endangered , but now that numbers in the wild have gone over 1 800 they have been reclassified. This is due to hard conservation work in China and funds from volunteers all over the globe. However, they are still vulnerable so it is important that the good work continues. For all those who have supported giant pandas through websites or those who work actively with them: keep up the good work! First baby beaver born on Exmoor in 400 years A baby beaver has been born on Exmoor, England, for the first time in 400 years! This is due to ...

Carbon credits

Hi everyone, Welcome back to Green World! Today we're talking about an industry that has expanded massively in the past few years. Carbon credits are one of the measures that companies are taking to reduce CO2 emissions . But how does it actually work? The companies that sell carbon credits fund projects to protect an area of forest or rainforest from deforestation . They then calculate how much carbon dioxide emissions they have saves by protecting this area. This means they can now sell 'negative carbon emissions' to companies. In this way, the companies are funding the protection of said area and are causing negative emissions while doing so meaning that the company can still emit greenhouse gases but can claim to be net zero. One carbon credit is basically the permission to emit one ton of CO2. This is good for the company as well as they are able to advertise as sustainable at a relatively low cost to actually reducing the...

Our 50th post! - and animals 1-5 in the '50 incredible animals' series

Hello Everyone, Today is a special post - to celebrate our 50th post we are starting a new series. This series is about 50 incredible animals. We can't promise that you haven't heard of any of them, but we have tried our best to find some of the most rare and in some cases bizarre animals possible. We can't fit 50 animals into one post so we have split them out over 10 posts. We'll try and publish at least one post every one or two weeks, but you know that we're not very good at keeping to the schedule! So the first five animals that you will (hopefully) find incredible: 1. Dumbo octopus They are the deepest living of all octopus species and are able to pounce on their prey and eat it whole. Their diet includes snails and other creatures they 'hoover up from the ocean floor'. They are called Dumbo elephants as a nod to Disney's elephant because they have fins that resemble the elephants infamous big ears! The...

Green World

Search This Blog