Free Essay: Impact of Climate Change on Increased Frequency and Intensity of Fires

The United States experienced 50,477 wildfires in 2019, burning up to 4.66 million acres of land and killing scores of people (National Interagency Fire Centre). Every year, fires are wreaking havoc leading to loss of lives, destruction of vegetation and properties, killing of animals, and costing billions. More recently, Australia battled with bushfires in New South Wales that lasted an astounding 240 days, killing 28 people and a billion animals affected (Guy). Despite widespread efforts to put out the fire, the rampage continued and only stopped when heavy rains came. According to Tymstra et al., fires are mainly caused by human activities accidentally or through arson and by lightning (1). However, wildfires are not a negative thing as they may be purported. Flannigan et al. argued that fires are an integral part of forests serving as a renewing agent that determines their structure and function (2). Nevertheless, despite its usefulness, a fire has its downsides. Fire leads to smoke and emission of Carbon dioxide, which causes global warming that is detrimental to life on Earth. There has been a marked dramatic increase in wildfires across the globe, which has posed a threat to the ecosystem. The increase in fires in terms of frequency and intensity is a challenge as fire seasons have become longer, leading to more devastating effects. The fires in the Western United States doubled between 1984 and 2015 (Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions). As a result, it has become crucial to understand the reason behind the increase in fires. Tymstra et al., in their research, concluded that climate change had increased the risk of wildfires leading to prolonged seasons with increased intensity (7). Although fires are caused by human activities and lightning, climate change has played a critical role in the increase in fires due to warmer and drier conditions, and prolonged droughts that have acted as catalysts for fires. This paper answers the question, how has climate change affected the frequency and intensity of fires?

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Effects of Climate Change on Fires

First, climate change has led to warmer conditions that have led to the drying of fuels. Human activities have led to the excessive release of greenhouse gases, which are responsible for global warming. As a result, higher temperatures have been recorded gradually. Since 1901, the earth’s temperature has risen by 0.14F per decade (EPA). Both 2012 and 2015 marked the highest temperatures since 1901 in the United States (EPA). As a result, 2015 was marked with the highest burned area since 1980. According to Flannigan et al., the temperature was the most critical variable when predicting fires and burned areas (7). Areas with higher temperatures were more susceptible to fires. Dunne reiterated the findings of Flannigan et al. by noting how across the globe, fire seasons were associated with periods of the year when temperatures were the highest. Areas such as North America and Australia experience most fires from August to November, while Central Africa and Asia have fires from December through March (Dunne). These periods are characterized by high temperatures. Therefore, the increase in temperatures due to climate change creates suitable conditions for fires, which explains why their frequency and intensity have increased.

High temperatures are also responsible for increased rates of evaporation, leading to low moisture levels. Subsequently, soil moisture levels also drop significantly. The leaves, especially during autumn, dry up quickly. The low moisture content converts vegetation into fuels such that when sparked, they ignite easily. In the event of lightning, the fire ignites fast and spreads rapidly, making it very difficult to control. In contrast, during cooler periods, the moisture content is high, which makes it difficult for fires to spread as vegetation does not ignite easily. Potera noted that some evergreen forests in the Amazon and Congo have remained free from fires for years due to the high moisture content (A293). However, if such areas are affected by climate change, they may experience fires. As seen in Australia, the intensity of the fires was so high that efforts by the government to control it were futile. Dunne pointed out that the Australian fires were 30 percent more likely due to climate change. As a result, of climate change, moisture levels during dry seasons are dropping to extremely low levels, and the earth is set to experience more intense and frequent fires.

Climate change has also led to prolonged and severe droughts that create suitable conditions for fires. The issue of droughts goes back to the point of low moisture content and high temperatures. In Australia, as noted earlier, the fires were extinguished by rains. The fires in New South Wales coincided with one of the most severe droughts in the state (Guy). Therefore when droughts are prolonged, fire seasons also increase. This increase in fire seasons is due to delays in rains.

There has also been reported earlier melting of snow due to the rising temperatures. As a result, spring starts earlier, which implies longer dry periods. Therefore, there are longer dry and warm periods as vegetation starts to dry up earlier than usual, thus increasing the risk of fires. These more extended periods of warm temperatures explain why fires around the globe start earlier than usual and are prolonged. The study by Flannigan et al. reported that fires in Canada and Russia were experienced earlier than the usual seasons (7). Traditionally areas have fire seasons, but with climate change, there have been disruptions. The notion of fire seasons is slowly being eroded with areas such as California battling fires all year round.

Climate change has also led to the strengthening of winds that play a crucial role in the spread of fire. Barbero et al. noted that strong winds increased the spread of fire in specific directions (442). Without strong winds, fires tend to spread slowly and thus make it easier to control. However, with reported strong winds, fires are more intense and spread so fast that initiatives to extinguish it are not forthcoming.

Finally, there have also been increased heat waves that play a crucial role in fires. Barbero et al. reported strong heat waves in 2003 that led to an increase in fires (442). Heatwaves also hamper efforts to control fires. Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves, which subsequently lead to a higher risk of fires.

Conclusion

Fires are meant to be an essential part of the ecosystem, but they are spiraling out of control, causing damage due to climate change. Efforts to combat these fires are costly, with countries spending billions. Climate change is responsible for the increase in the frequency and intensity of fires. Global warming is a hot topic with differing views, but research has shown that it has led to warmer temperatures that lead to more frequent and intense fires. However, it is important to note that there is no direct correlation between fires and climate change. Climate change is an underlying cause that has dramatically increased the risk of fires. Therefore, it is vital to acknowledge that the increase in fires is also contributing to climate change hence the need for initiatives to curb the effects.

Works Cited

Barbero, Renaud, et al. ‘Simulating the Effects of Weather and Climate on Large Wildfires in France.’ Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, vol.19, 2019, pp. 441-454. https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/19/441/2019/nhess-19-441-2019.pdf. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

‘Climate Change Indicators: Wildfires.’ Environmental Protection Agency, 2020, https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-wildfires. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

Dunne, Daisy. (July 14, 2020). ‘Explainer: How Climate Change Is Affecting Wildfires Around The World.’ Carbon Brief, 14 July 2020, https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-how-climate-change-is-affecting-wildfires-around-the-world. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

Flannigan, Mike, et al. ‘Impacts of Climate Change on Fire Activity and Fire Management in the Circumboreal Forest.’ Global change biology, vol. 14, 2008, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01660.x. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

Guy, Jack. ‘After More Than 240 Days, Australia's New South Wales Is Finally Free From Bushfires.’ CNN, 3 Mar. 2020, https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/03/australia/new-south-wales-fires-extinguished-scli-intl/index.html. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

Potera, Carol. ‘Climate Change: Challenges of Predicting Wildfire Activity.’ Environmental health perspectives, vol. 117, no. 7, 2009, pp. A292-A295. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717155/. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

‘Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2019).’ National Interagency Fire Centre, 2020, https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

Tymstra, C et al. ‘Wildfire Management in Canada: Review, Challenges and Opportunities.’ Progress in Disaster Science, vol. 5, no. 100045, 2020, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2019.100045. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.

‘Wildfires and Climate Change.’ Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions, 2020, https://www.c2es.org/content/wildfires-and-climate-change/. Accessed 2 Aug. 2020.