Why is the world on fire?
We ask a panel of experts why the climate crisis is contributing to the rise of wildfires and how they can be prevented.
Africa, Australia, the Americas, and the Artic. The world is on fire.
Across the globe wildfires are raging at tremendous levels. The cause, scientists say, is the global climate crisis.
Global warming means drier land and drier land means more kindling for fires. In turn, the wildfires continue the circle because not only do these fires emit carbon dioxide into the air, they also burn away trees and vegetation that help remove harmful greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.
So how do we break this cycle?
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Niels Andela
Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center & University of Maryland
globalfiredata.org
Glen MacDonald @GlenMMacDonald1
John Muir Memorial Chair of Geography, UCLA
geog.ucla.edu
Carla Staver @stavercarla
Associate Professor of Ecology, Yale University
staverlab.yale.edu
Read more:
A forecast for a warming world: Learn to live with fire – The New York Times
We’re at the peak of the global fire season – The Washington Post
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