I have been following the recent wildfires in California that have been raging at an extent never before seen – breaking all records. The fires are 20% contained which actually means that they are 80% out of control. One of these fires is located on the edge of Yosemite National Park. The area of park destroyed is increasing each day that the fire continues. I had the pleasure of visiting Yosemite and it is a very special place for conservation and historical reasons. It is the second ever national park established, a campaign championed by John Muir who is often referred to as the father of the conservation movement. The fires are not caused by climate change. However, the changing climate almost certainly has a role in making these areas far more vulnerable to fire - summer temperatures from Spring onwards, reduced rainfall, glaciers have stopped growing. It is unlikely that these wildfires can be prevented. The only way that the impacts could be minimised is through closer surveillance so that the fires are contained as early as possible before they take hold. The current wildfires are so hot and devastating that the degree to which there will be ecological recovery is unknown. The fires themselves cause emissions that add to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and at the same time huge areas of trees that had been absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere have been lost. With less trees, less rainfall will be retained in the catchments affected and this in turn impact on ecological recovery and resilience of the remaining forest. The fires also have economic including the cost of fighting the fires, lost property assets and impact on businesses supporting tourism to the area. Additionally, several hydro power facilities have had to close forcing San Francisco to buy power from the wider electricity markets. The changing climate is predicted to have a longer term impact as Los Angeles depends on the glaciers and spring snowmelt for water supply. Climate modelling indicates that with another 0.5 degrees Centigrade increase in average temperature, this source of water supply will be lost.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 13:01:21 +0000
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