This article addresses the
widespread issue of California wildfires. The state has recently seen many disastrous
wildfires, with the most recent beginning on November 8th, forcing
more than 250,000 people to evacuate from their homes. The death toll was at
least 44. It is acknowledged that the lack of rain in California and a
prolonged dry season due to drought has created “matchbox like conditions” that
are conducive to the spread of wildfires.
Another major problem discussed in
the article is the level of difficulty involved in trying to fight these fires.
Even with the extensive firefighting department that California has, there was
still a need to deploy firefighters from many surrounding states. Even with
this extra help, the firefighters struggled greatly to try to contain the fire
and much of it was out of their control.
Yet another important point that is
brought up is the impact of climate change on the conditions that lead to the
magnitude of these fires. I thought that this article was interesting to
compare and contrast to the types of environmental disaster we have discussed
in class and read about because these wildfires are unavoidable to some extent,
but have potential to become worse due to factors such as climate change. There
is research that suggests climate change could also worsen other natural
disasters such as hurricanes.
Do you have any ideas for how California could better
prepare for these fires and lessen their impact?
How should the factors that lead to/worsen the fires be addressed?
(drought, increase of greenhouse gases, climate change, etc)
I think this article brings to light a reoccurring problem that Californians must face. These persistent issues have kept Californians fighting to keep their land together for years now, but as climate change worsens, so will there issues. This brings to light the disparities existent amongst people living in different climate. As someone who lives in a mainland part of the United States, I am not facing rising sea levels, so that problem seems more removed to me than it would someone who is living in, say, Puerto Rico. This is another specific issue that the entire world is complicit in that only effects Californians. I think that new technology for fighting fires is definitely needed, though its difficult to say what that technology looks like. I know that computer models are getting better and better and predicting how these fires move. When it comes to the factors that lead to/worsen the fires, it reminds me of the Rousseau letter where he talks about how if the Portugal earthquake would have hit the middle of the desert, then it wouldn't be an issue. Part of the reason why the California fires are so dangerous is because of the high concentration of people living there.
ReplyDeleteAre most CA wildfires caused by lightning/some other natural event or is it anthropogenic? Chile also experiences very bad wildfires and in order to try to lessen them, hikers and campers are not allowed to make a fire in any national park/recreation area in the country. I would imagine CA has already implemented something similar, if not it obviously should. Buildings can also be built fireproof. Natural constructions such as earth homes are both fireproof and incredibly resistant to earthquakes. New buildings should employ some sort of fireproofing technique, and ways to retrofit old buildings should be explored.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marilyn’s suggestions regarding the implementation of certain techniques in the way building should be built. I think that California is accustomed to battling these big fires, although maybe not one as a big as the Camp Fire, so they have to have some regulations in place to help lessen the impact and prevent these fires. I think the article brought up an interesting point of how the worsening weather conditions, like the drought and the heat, could possibly be attributed to global warming. I’m not sure how we would be able to battle global warming other than how we already are and by passing more environmentally conscious laws. As for fighting the other conditions, possibly caused by global warming, I think an interesting avenue to pursue would be the filtering of sea water to fresh water on a large scale. If we were able to do this and distribute the water from planes, similar to how pesticides used to be spread, it could possibly be used to counteract some of these “matchbox” conditions. However, I don’t know how realistic or financially practical something like this would be.
ReplyDeleteI think this article is extremely eye opening for individuals who do not live in California because we don’t know how bad these fires actually are. I can’t believe these wildfires are setting records, which is not good for anyone. The article stated “it was as if the gates of hell had opened up” and I couldn’t really picture this description until I saw the pictures of the wildfires and aftermath. I also agree with Marilyn’s suggestions regarding the implementation of certain techniques with how buildings should be built. I also agree with Paige’s point with how the worsening weather conditions could be attributed to global warming. The weather conditions are only getting worse as time goes on with examples such as hurricanes becoming stronger like Hurricane Michael as well as droughts becoming longer than the normal.
ReplyDeleteBefore this article, I never realized the severity of Californian wildfires. They devastate land and ruin lives, yet there seems to be very little that can actually be done in the way of preventing them. Yet even attempting to fight them once they happen is a logistical nightmare. They have to seek an unimaginable amount of firefighters, and on top of that, they have to provide shelter for those that are displaced. The idea that climate change is amplifying their effects is not surprising (as it continues to cause unimaginable damages throughout the world), and while some progress is being made in that regard, I do not imagine it will abate anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia can't control wildfires for the most part, but much of the new damage that has occurred from these large fires has also become more harsh because people have located their houses in heavily wooded areas. California can lessen at least some of the impact on human lives by setting aside larger areas of forest as national park/protected areas where people cannot live, although the government would also have to find new places for these people to relocate. (Many of these people will need to relocate due to the fires anyway.)
ReplyDeleteObviously, because climate change has worsened these fires, climate change needs to be addressed by the federal government, who should be placing larger regulations on carbon- and waste-producing corporations and organizations, as well as taxing the mega-rich in order to build funds for prevention and reconstruction.