by Angie Liew
The year of 2020 has faced many environmental tragedies thus far, but none more clearly depicts climate change’s severity than the widespread fires across the globe. By March of this year, the world sighed a breath of relief as the last of Australia’s major bushfires were finally extinguished. We could have never predicted that 43,785 wildfires would ravage the United States of America within the next six months, leaving over 7,012,294 acres of land obliterated and in smoke.
You might be wondering: Wildfire seasons occur every year; why’s it any different now? To no surprise, this season has been by far the worst one yet in history, and it’s more apparent than ever why this is so. California has witnessed five of its most massive fires to date, while Oregon has lost areas more extensive than Rhode Island’s entirety to the violent flames. Almost as described in apocalyptic movies, ghostly reddish-orange hues enveloped the skies; thousands of buildings burned to the ground, and the mournful sense of loss hangs heavy in the air. The death toll continues to rise over 30 since August alone, as firefighters continue to combat a battle they know will not be ending soon. Why is this happening? How did this all start?
A widespread social media story goes that a gender reveal’s “smoke-generating pyrotechnic machine” sparked the infamous Californian El Dorado fire, which burned over 6,800 acres of land across east Los Angeles. Upon the accidental ignition of nearby dry four-foot grass, the fire spread uncontrollably, costing a firefighter’s life in the San Bernardino National Forest. This blaze is just one of many.
You may still be thinking to yourself: This is truly tragic, but it’s nothing new; nothing out of the ordinary, even if it’s just a little more extreme. Well, My friends, we should be worried now more than ever, and here’s precisely why:
There are a few reasons why conditions have been particularly favorable for fires to start and spread in recent years. Climate change has been setting a trend of requirements for wildfires: drier vegetation, increased temperatures, more frequent lightning storms, and extended droughts.
This year alone, record-breaking fires include the August Complex, the SCU Lightning Complex, the LNU Lightning Complex, the Cave Creek Complex, and the North Complex. In California alone, these five dwarf the top 10 wildfires from 2001-2010 combined. Over 150,000 people have evacuated their properties, and citizens worry that they will soon have nothing but ash to return home to.
“This is a climate damn emergency. This is real,” says California Governor Gavin Newsom, “The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California.”
Other less apparent contributing factors include fallen trees on power lines and the government’s neglect for forest-care. Their sluggishness to adapt efficient fire-prevention methods into policies has since cost the lives of hundreds, and thousands of homes. The Native Americans had preventive measures against large, uncontained fires long before western colonization; they saw fire as a tool rather than an enemy. The process included regularly lighting controlled fires to the land, removing underbrush, moss, and dried plants. In its place the following spring, new shoots emerge, better adapted against more dangerous fires, and flammable kindling cleared away from the land. The natives have successfully protected their land for over 13,000 years in this way, reducing the risk of more deadly, uncontrollable fires. With the government’s failure to employ sufficient and safe prescribed burnings, it had been left to the individuals in communities to organize much of these efforts. Despite their attempts, it is evident that it is still not enough. With the worsening global warming conditions, many fear that it may well be too late.
You will have likely heard of the “Tale of the Boiling Frog” sometime in your life. This story forewarns us about the danger of becoming too comfortable with the barely noticeable increasing heat of the water we sat in, while it rises insignificantly a little at a time. It would rise ever so slowly until finally, we’re being boiled alive. This warning is no longer a distant story we can take for granted. This is our reality today. Global warming is progressively getting worse with each passing year, and we continue to push aside our role in containing it. We are not just losing the fight against the American wildfires. We are losing a planetary battle for the survival of our Earth.
Do your part today—support victims of the fires by donating to the American Red Cross, providing meals and medical aid. Educate yourselves about the actions you can start taking now to slow down the rate of climate change. Engage in discussions and activism to ensure your government brings change.
We are out of time. It’s the endgame now.