Its become pretty standard to hear about devastating wildfires in the news every summer and there is an obvious trend of increasing fires. We learn to not light fires in dry areas and to always be aware of fire risk levels when using forests however, these methods just distract from the real issue which is climate change. Fire management is not the solution to these devastating superfires. My vision is that fires become a sign climate change and an urgent need to reduce emissions. I hope media coverage in the future can use fires to educate people of the urgency of the climate issue.
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Hi Nadia, thank you for sharing your perspective. I really liked that you pointed to the role the media plays in perpetuating the lack of awareness in the general public. I feel like BC has normalized summer as 'fire season' and just accepts it as part of life but there is never as much discussion around how climate change is exacerbating these fires as there should be. I personally did not know that fires were more intense and more widespread than they were historically, until Kai explained this in class this week. And how is the public supposed to know that either? I feel like there should be a lot more discussion in the media about how the fires we are experiencing are NOT normal, because they are bigger and hotter than they've ever been! We should not be accepting every summer as 'fire season'. Fires are normal but fires like the ones we experience now are not, and we need to come up with plans to communicate that to the public.
Hi Nadia,
Thank you for highlighting the underlying causes of the increasing frequency and severity of fires. Sometimes, in effort to manage the problem at hand, it can be easy to forget the root issues so thank you for bringing this up!
I completely agree! Addressing climate change is the core issue.
Hi Nadia, totally! Climate change is the main force acting here - by solving climate change we're also solving wildfires so we need more awareness in the media about this and push for change!
I totally agree! Wildfires are by far one of the most urgent and scary consequence of climate change so far. It always gives me an eerie feeling that the world is ending, but in ways that go unnoticed to those who live in the developed world. Great post!
Hi Nadia, I am thinking the same way, what humans should really be aware of is the seriouness of climate change, how it has affected all aspects of our life and ecosystems. Your idea on media to spread information is great! This may be one of the most efficient way to inform the public nowadays.
Yes!! It's so frustrating that leadership won't address the actual cause of the fires.
I agree, media coverage is a key tool that can raise awareness on this issue.
Hello Nadia, I agree that media coverage on wildfires today are not representative of the bigger picture and that is something we should all work on.