In this article, Aliya Khan explains the harmful effects of the recent wildfires in California as well as how to help.
Wildfires are a part of California, but in recent years, wildfires have not only become common, but destructive as well. This year proved to be calamitous for California, as it witnessed the largest wildfire season (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) which has scorched 3.6 million acres so far. A smoke generating pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party in El Dorado has been blamed for the ongoing fires in California. The wildfires have caused widespread destruction – smoky air, haunting orange skies, giant smoke clouds, firenado, poisonous air quality, etc. More than 64,000 people had to be evacuated while the risks of Covid-19 lingered in that very atmosphere. The ‘gender-reveal’ party may have triggered the fires, but the rising temperatures causing record-breaking heatwaves are providing the impetus to the ever-growing wildfires, or in other words, Climate Change is real. The average temperature in California has increased steadily over the last decade. Higher temperatures have dried out the vegetation while low precipitation rates have dried the land causing droughts. The long expansive dry spells have not only extruded the moisture from the atmosphere but have also made trees and shrubs an ideal tinder to feed a fire. Scientists have discovered that wildfires have been growing dramatically overnight because temperatures aren’t dropping like they used to. These fires are adding even more carbon dioxide into the air, thereby accelerating global warming. California is the 12th largest source of global warming emissions in the world, exceeding most entire countries. There are no signs of improvement – the wildfires are burning down the treasured forests of California, and it has been projected that in the coming years the state population will increase and reside in the fire-prone areas. Therefore, it is clear, that wildfires are both the cause and consequence of Global
Warming. Humans have managed to warm the planet by a little over 1°C in just a hundred years, and we’re on track to warm the planet by as much as 3 or 4 degrees by the end of this century. A 4°C change in climate is the difference between the world we live in and the Ice Age. This is why climate experts make such a big deal out of what can sound like small changes in temperature.
You can sign the petition below by Explore Panda/WWF:
https://explore.panda.org/for-nature-for-us
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