I’m someone who has lived in a city surrounded by desert and a humid subtropical climate for most of my life. After moving here in 2022, I wasn’t used to any kind of forest or wildfires. I can recall one of the first few weeks of my freshman year: the southerly winds often present at the beginning of the fall season in Oregon brought in heavy smoke from surrounding fires, making the air quality poor, causing my asthmatic lungs to beg for cleaner air.
As temperatures continue to rise across the world, climate change continues to affect the environment, and human activity only increases these repercussions.
According to Center for Disaster Philanthropy “the effects of climate change increase, natural hazards continue to shirk the expected seasonal rules, occurring with ever-increasing frequency and intensity.”
Some human activities that have generally caused wildfires are discarded unextinguished cigarettes, unattended campfires, firework use and power generation, such as power lines.
UO senior Jakob Sanders is a cinema studies major and firefighter.
“Humans do have an impact on fire, but most of the time, human-caused fires are accidental. For example, there was a very large fire a few years ago from a kid lighting fireworks,” Sanders said.
The cause of the Palisades fires that occurred in California earlier this year is still unknown. A leading theory was a re-ignition of a brush fire that burned six days prior during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
It seems that Sanders’ comment and the leading theory for the Palisades fires contribute to firework use to wildfire causes.
Since these wildfires are predominantly caused by human accidents, it’s become crucial to monitor these activities to understand how these disasters can alter our environment.
The two most affected things for humans that result from these fires are poor air quality and water quality. Other things affected are animal and habitat life.
“While some seasons have more fire than others, there is no exact pattern on the event that fires may be caused in,” Sanders said.
CDP has stated that “the effects of climate change increase natural hazards (that) continue to shirk the expected seasonal rules, occurring with ever-increasing frequency and intensity.”
I interviewed my uncle, who works for the San Antonio Fire Department in Texas.
“Days are hotter (and) droughts are longer, which contributes to drier climates. Consequently, this makes it easier for random sparks from cigarettes or something as little as chains hanging off of vehicles to cause a spark that will turn into a wildfire,” he said.
Though the number of wildfires has increased in uncertain ways, it’s no surprise that climate change persists and coincides with detrimental effects on our environment. One thing everyone can do better is to be cautious when utilizing flammable materials and be mindful of the already eroding planet.
