On Climate: Wildfires will increase as climate crisis continues

Instead of writing about agriculture this month as planned, I decided to dedicate this column to exploring the relationship between wildfires and the climate crisis, prompted by the recent wildfires in Canada and their impact in the Northeast.

First, some data. Scientists have long warned that the frequency of wildfires will increase as the climate crisis continues. This is easy to understand when we consider that certain forests are becoming hotter and drier, making them more susceptible to burning. Consequently, fire seasons worldwide are expanding due to the increased aridity of forest fuels. For instance, since 1970, the average wildfire season in the Western U.S. has extended by 100 days, and the results have been devastating and expensive. California, in particular, has witnessed 11 of its 20 largest wildfires in history since 2018. Between 2017 and 2022, the U.S. suffered over $105 billion in wildfire damage. Think about what we could have done with that money. A recent United Nations report does an excellent job of summarizing the wildfire trend line, projecting a surge of 50 to 60% in global wildfires in the coming decades as the planet continues to warm due to the human-caused climate crisis.

Why do wildfires happen? Well, they can originate from natural events like lightning strikes or human activities such as campfires, discarded cigarettes, or faulty electrical equipment. The list of human activities is too long to list here, but suffice it to say there’s much we can do to be more careful with our forests.

Add to these reasons the fact that the climate crisis plays a significant role in making forests more vulnerable to burning. Warmer temperatures and droughts lead to increased moisture evaporation from soil and vegetation, drying out trees, shrubs, and grasses, and turning fallen branches and leaf litter into combustible material. Additionally, in the Western United States, the shrinking and earlier melting of snowpacks reduce the water available for vegetation, making forests more prone to ignition. Intuitively, we all know the point above about warmer temperatures and droughts is true as we walk around Harvard in the summer months.

A misguided policy

In 1935, the U.S.Forest Service made a huge policy mistake, in my opinion. They implemented a policy of suppressing all fires, even controlled ones, which resulted in an accumulation of flammable leaf litter, shrubs, small trees, and dry grass in forests. Before implementing the no-burn policy, frequent small fires would clear debris without posing a threat to larger, more resilient trees. The policy was changed five decades later, and the new policy allows for controlled burns, but the implementation isn’t consistent. Due to the unnatural buildup of debris resulting from fire suppression, coupled with the exacerbated drying caused by climate change, some wildfires now reach such high temperatures that even trees that could typically survive have little chance.

Recently, efforts have been made to reduce fire risks by removing excess brush and small trees and implementing controlled burns, but much more is needed. In Canada and the Northeast, there is still much we can do with controlled burns and better forest management. Our governments should aggressively pursue policies to get ahead of the problem if we want to avoid issues like the ones we’ve experienced in the Northeast recently.

So, how can we improve wildfire management? Steps to mitigate extreme wildfires include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing forest management practices, being less careless, and improving preparedness for fire incidents.

To prevent accidental human-caused wildfires, many government agencies, like the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in the U.S., publish guides offering preventive measures. Most of these are common-sense recommendations and cover topics like how to put out a campfire, burn debris, and practice fire-safe target shooting. Still, it’s worth reading them when you have time.

Even if we do all the stuff recommended by NIFC, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is paramount since climate change not only affects wildfires but also intensifies other extreme weather events such as hurricanes and droughts. Breaking our dependence on oil and gas is crucial for a sustainable future for future generations.

Wildfire smoke: Bad news for all of us

What about poor air quality? As wildfires increase, hazardous air quality due to them also increases. Wildfire smoke can travel vast distances, as witnessed in 2021 when parts of the East Coast of the U.S. were blanketed by smoke from Western wildfires, and as we’re experiencing now with the Canadian wildfires. Worse, smoke from wildfires contains harmful pollutants such as black carbon, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons. The intensity of larger wildfires sends these pollutants high into the atmosphere, where they can travel great distances due to stronger upper-level winds.

Wildfire smoke can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular issues, particularly affecting older adults, pregnant women, children, and people with preexisting respiratory and heart conditions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. With that said, it would be a mistake to conclude that wildfire smoke only negatively affects vulnerable populations. It’s bad news for all of us.

To safeguard our health during periods of heavy smoke, folks should remain indoors and maintain clean indoor air, preferably using HEPA purifiers. When outdoor activities are necessary, wearing N95 masks can help reduce exposure to particulate matter.

In conclusion, and unfortunately, wildfires are here to stay. To minimize their impact on future generations, we must aggressively pursue climate mitigation policies, improve forest management practices, and take better care of our forests.

Rich Marcello is a novelist and a member of the Climate Initiative Committee. In writing his latest novel, he spent several years researching the climate crisis.