Golden State Charred

As tumultuous events around the world take place, natural disasters have been occurring on the golden West Coast, driving its residents into a state of frenzy. The risk of fires has been rapidly increasing over the past several decades and is now reaching a concerning level. The number of these wildfires has reached its all-time high during the end of 2020 and still persists in many different areas. Now, people are questioning,  “What are the real causes for the wildfires? And are humans themselves directly causing the downfall for our environment?” 

 

To truly determine the causes of wildfires, scientists a step back and note the effects of the progressing world around us. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution-- around the time when humans started to burn a large sum of fossil fuels-- the planet has been warming up continuously. The burned fossil fuels directly contribute to the high influx of carbon dioxide that thickens the gas layers of Earth’s atmosphere. Through the condensed gas layers, the excess heat from the sun becomes trapped in the atmosphere and raises the temperature on Earth. Temperatures around the world have raised an estimate of 1 degree celsius on average, and California itself has raised an estimate of 5.4 degrees celsius. The phenomenon of climate change has affected the weather patterns of the various climates, and “chan[ged] rain and snow patterns” as well as “vastly increased the likelihood that fires will start more often and burn more intensely and widely than they have in the past,” according to the National Geographic article “The science connecting wildfires to climate change” written by Alejandra Borunda. Along with heightened temperatures, regions on the West Coast that have also been historically drier than other areas in the country experienced unprecedented droughts, both of which are a direct factor in boosting the risk of wildfires. In California specifically, there have been over 7,000 fires in 2019 alone. The high number of fires should raise red flags for both conservationists and regular people alike. 

 

Scientists say that although the temperature increase in California may seem small and insignificant, any increase at all can be greatly detrimental to the state and add to the risk of wildfire occurrence. The dry air from the hot temperatures absorbs the moisture from the air and organisms around it. Because water vapor behaves in a different manner than other gases do, its partial pressure is dependent on its temperature. The warmer the water vapor is, the more water the air around can hold. In other words, the water contents are evaporating into the air. Scientists measure this “vapor pressure deficit” to determine “the difference between how much water the air holds and how much it could hold” according to Borunda. Over time, soil and organisms in the hot weather become water-deficient. In addition to just shriveled leaves, the burnt flora also release a large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which only worsens the original problem. The pressing matter continues in a vicious cycle as the fires burn on. 

 

Fires require a combination of three things to be able to start: combustibles, heat, and oxygen. In the hot terrain of California, withered vegetations and soil that can act as the perfect combustibles are not in shortage. Oxygen and heat are also all around the air; the chances of a wildfire are practically guaranteed on the West Coast with all the odds stacked for the causes. To decrease the chances of wildfires, the issue needs to be tackled at its core. Since it’s impossible to eliminate oxygen and heat from the equation, the amount of foliage and combustibles that resulted from climate change can at least be lessened. 

 

Environmental damage and deforestation were not the only results from California wildfires. More than 100,000 Californian residents have been instructed to uproot their families from their houses and evacuate. Many of these people packed their whole lives into suitcases, bringing only the essentials with them, to leave behind their valuable memorabilia and homes. The fires have taken more than 30 lives in 2020 and will continue to affect the daily lives of regular people until action is taken against them. 

 

Evident from the recent California fires, the burnings should be taken seriously by all residents around the world. In each of the wildfires, a substantial amount of smoke pours out from the western regions. The smoke contains different kinds of harmful chemicals and soot, and sometimes even microscopic particles that could be especially damaging to the lungs. The fumes from these fires spread across the entire United States in mere weeks of the initial fires, affecting all the residents of the country. Later, the smoke from the California wildfires was spotted in European skies, raising concern for global citizens.   

 

In essence, climate change has been persistently escalating the number of West Coast wildfires and destroying the lives of many. The dramatic fires in California might have been prevented if global warming had not existed. To actively combat the problem, not only do ordinary citizens have a responsibility to be environmentally conscious, big industrial companies have to limit their fossil fuel burning and switch to a more sustainable energy source. Only when humans begin taking action for the various steps of reversing climate change can nature take another step towards healing. 

 

If you would like to donate to help out the victims of the CA wildfires and the firefighters, please visit one of the links below to give towards the cause. 

 

The Red Cross Disaster Relief: https://www.redcross.org/donate/disaster-relief.html/?donamt=0

Global Giving California Wildfire Relief Fund: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/california-wildfire-relief-fund/

Latino Community Foundation Northern California Wildfire Relief Fund: https://latino-community-foundation.networkforgood.com/projects/38583-northern-california-fires-relief

 

If you would also like to volunteer at a local relief shelter learn more about it at https://scvolunteercenter.org/fire-safety-and-how-you-can-help/ 

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Sources

Borunda, Alejandra. “The Science Connecting Wildfires to Climate Change.” Science, 18 Sept. 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/09/climate-change-increases-risk-fires-western-us/. 

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California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). “Stats and Events.” Cal Fire Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, www.fire.ca.gov/stats-events/. 

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Coffey, Donavyn. “How Do Wildfires Start?” LiveScience, Purch, 28 Dec. 2018, www.livescience.com/64378-how-do-wildfires-start.html. 

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Jordan, Rob. “Longer, More Extreme Wildfire Seasons.” Stanford Earth, Stanford EARTH, 2 Apr. 2020, earth.stanford.edu/news/longer-more-extreme-wildfire-seasons#gs.s1dak8. 

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Smith-Spark, Laura. “Smoke from the US West Coast Wildfires Has Reached Europe.” CNN, Cable News Network, 16 Sept. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/09/16/weather/us-wildfires-smoke-europe-copernicus-intl/index.html.