“A Forecast for a Warming World: Learn to Live with Fire”

With rising global temperatures, extreme weather events have not only become even more extreme, but have also become more frequent. Thomas Fuller and Kendra Pierre-Louis’ article, “A Forecast for a Warming World: Learn to Live with Fire” demonstrates this alarming new reality that will soon become a normal occurrance. In light of the recent wildfires in Northern and Southern California, Fuller and Pierre-Louis took the opportunity to inform the public that this is a trend that is likely to continue as our world gets warmer.

The current fires in California follow a third year of record-breaking fires. So how are people supposed to live in an environment that is prone to wildfires? That is where the problem comes in. There is no real way to control them or improve the current control of them. The heat of the climate increases the dryness of the land, making it more flammable. This also means the fires are able to spread. much more rapidly than they would in a healthy environment. The Kincade fire tore through 16,000 acres within a few hours of igniting with the help of the wind. The National Climate Assessment confirmed that fires will continue to be a growing problem in the Unites States. In the U.S. during the past decade, four wildfires have done more damage than all wildfires since 1950 have combined. People living within these fire-prone communities are not happy. Although the winds driving the fires in California are expected to subside for a couple of days, they will return by Sunday. All these people can do is prepare themselves. 

“In the Fight Against Climate Change, Not All Forests Are Equal”

Efforts to stop deforestation world-wide have been in place for some time now, but are more important that ever before as our planet warms. Henry Fountain, journalist and author of “In the Fight Against Climate Change, Not All Forests Are Equal,” informs readers that forests are extremely helpful in combating climate change. He tells of how programs to reduce deforestation take place in areas where deforestation is already happening, but not so much where it isn’t happening, which turns out to be where it may really count. New studies suggest that protecting areas where mass-deforestation is not already happening could be very beneficial. 

Forest are accountable for removing over 25% of carbon emissions from the earth’s atmosphere each year. It turns out that the untouched and intact forests are more effective at storing carbon than those that are already in danger. This should raise eyebrows because more and more “pristine” forests are being disturbed each year. Obviously protecting all forests, disturbed or not, is important, however it isn’t likely to happen. Preserving the nature of intact forests is more beneficial in the long-run. When a forest is disturbed, its capacity to fully function and store carbon is lowered. Think of it almost as a lost cause, but don’t really, because we can;t give up on anything at this point. 

Protecting compromised forests from further destruction is very important in the human battle against climate change. But it is time to add something else to the regimen. We must protect untouched forests from being touched in the first place.