Wild Fires

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Tobacco consumptions, the main cause of human forest wildfires also a previous topic that I have talked about. Tobacco consumptions fall in place with this topic, and I thought it would be a splendid idea to put two and two together and write an article about wildfires!! 

Forest fires are wild, uncontrolled, and usually occur in rural areas. These roaring flames destroy everything in their way. They have nearly 6 million acres of land in the span of only a decade. In 2020, the number reached 10.3 million acres of land with a total of 57,000 wildfires. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only around 10-15% of forest wildfires are natural whereas around 85-90% of the fire are manmade, Forest fires that start naturally usually start small, on leaves or sawdust, however, Man-made forest fires are made by smoking, from stubs that are not fully extinguished, campfires, and bonfires, Wildfires can also be caused my tobacco products. In Europe, in 2018, there were several wildfires, in Italy, Spain, Portugal, the UK and Sweden. More recent events are the Australian bush fires and the Amazon Rainforest fires. It has killed at least 35 people, destroyed thousands of structures, and caused extreme air pollution. These consequences have long term effects as the destruction of structures would take millions of dollars to fund and rebuild. This leaves many people homeless as well due to their houses being burned down. Climate change has increased due to the air pollution caused by the fires because the gases released by the fires are greenhouse gases. These greenhouses gases stay in the atmosphere and trap the sun’s heat, warming the Earth’s surface and causing drastic changes in weather. Wildfires in the Middle East have been triggered by a heatwave hitting countries like Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. These fires have killed 3 people and left thousands of people homeless already, and this number just keeps growing.

In recent years, more and more awareness is being created about the risk of forest wildfires and the importance of keeping these forests safe and their animal habitat safe as-well. There are many International Organizations such as UNEP, FAO and the WWF. FAO is a forest management organization that works to support member countries to fight and deal with the effects of these dangerous flames. UNEP and other “fire-fighting” organizations have it in their role to help combat the fires. Fires in the United States are getting larger, and the country is rapidly losing the ability to deal with them. During President Ronald Reagan’s first term, the federal government spent a couple hundred thousand dollars a year fighting fires, according to the Williams. This year, it plans to spend $2.25 billion just battling fires; the full budget is more than $5 billion. Yet forest-fire damage has ballooned. Since the early 1980s, the land area burned by wildfires every year has increased by 1,000%. California is struggling with some of the worst blazes in its history. On Monday, authorities announced that the so-called "Camp Fire" in Northern California had killed 42 people, making it the one of the most deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the states history. It broke a record set in 1933 when a bush fire in Los Angeles killed 29 people. The Camp Fire’s death toll is expected to rise in the coming years.

To help the issue, there are several solutions that can be implemented to the best national capability. Governments should come up with policies and must work to save the forests not only because of its economic impact but because of the much-needed survival of the flower and wild-life. Countries should come up with strong plans of actions to cope with the effects of the fires and how to prevent the fires. They could use climate change and focus on it, and explain how climate change is affected by wildfires, to understand and set laws about how dangerous wildfires are and evaluate the importance of political trade. The lives of humans, animals and the environment could potentially be destroyed. It is impossible to deprive a country from burning fuel and trees, therefore, governments can create a limit, and all those who cross the limit must be fined, for instance, in a year only 500 trees can be burnt and used for trade but not anymore this would allow trees to recover and grow at the same time crops can be grown on the burnt land to use it efficiently and fully. The burnt plants and trees can be turned into a renewable source of energy and used or sold, which would open an untapped route of income for the economies, so where the fuel would accumulate for fires, they would be accumulating for economic benefit and increased governmental revenue. Countries should seek help from other nations such as the United States, specifically California, which has opened a whole new market to fund its economy. This way countries can not only preserve their economy but also try to use the forests more effectively. This could not only save the natural surroundings but also boost the economic condition of the country. NGOs such as "ready for wildfire" help countries take precaution for wildfires, by working hand in hand with countries to help them save a great deal of damage and profit from any damage caused.

“Humanity should not remain insensitive to the forest fire or wildfire every year. Unless we act, the loss of biodiversity and extinction of herbs, birds and animals and the pains of the trees, birds, animals and the poor is also an alarming signal for the extinction of humanity itself.”

Amit Ray, Nuclear Weapons Free World Peace on the Earth

Written By: Twarita Verma