Peter and I love living on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. These pics are from early March. In spring, our mountain is green, but it dries out as the temperature heats up, bringing yearly fear of fire.
We saw a fire on the mountain two years ago. We gathered our emergency bags and didn't sleep that night. We were lucky wind and rain were on our side, and we didn't have to evacuate.Earlier that year, my parents spent several days with us while they were evacuated due to fire, a few mountains down from us. Some family friends in California lost their home in one of the big wildfires there.
Lots of factors go into wildfires, but climate change in the West means hotter average temps ✔ and longer and more frequent droughts ✔ That means bigger fires, and more of them going forward... unless the trees get to a point where the forests can't grow back at all (a depressing takeaway from one of these sources 👇)
Humans are responsible for climate change and all the consequences. But reducing emissions (by a LOT) can still keep this situation from getting worse.
What you can do:
Find wildfire prep resources at https://www.readyforwildfire.org/
Consider eschewing fireworks 🎆 this year if your place is as dry as mine.
And contact your reps. If yours is Republican, tell them to join the newly-formed Conservative Climate Change Caucus (all 4 of Utah's joined! You have to start somewhere!).
We all have to start somewhere 🙂
Sources:
This study links drought to human activity going back a century:
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2872/nasa-study-human-influence-on-global-droughts-goes-back-100-years/?_gl=1*1q7m9jh*_ga*M3U0a0VOVUdtam1Gakw3SDVqU0hsNjBqSGlLU2JsQ1Z1WTJBVlhvU1dSU0pER0NGU0lNdXpqZV9UTlB3aWE5bg..
From scientists at the Dept. of Agriculture at https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/wildland-fire :
"Overall, more fire is expected in western forests and rangelands for the foreseeable future, because of the preponderance of ecosystem types in which drought is strongly correlated with area burned...including large, severe fires....Anticipate big surprises -- expect mega droughts, larger fires, species extirpations, loss of resilience and system collapses, and incorporate these events in planning."
A bunch of resources about climate change and drought from the US Geological Survey:
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/sbsc/science/climate-change-and-drought
More from NASA:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/climate.nasa.gov/news/2881/earths-freshwater-future-extremes-of-flood-and-drought.amp
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2872/nasa-study-human-influence-on-global-droughts-goes-back-100-years/?_gl=1*1q7m9jh*_ga*M3U0a0VOVUdtam1Gakw3SDVqU0hsNjBqSGlLU2JsQ1Z1WTJBVlhvU1dSU0pER0NGU0lNdXpqZV9UTlB3aWE5bg..
From scientists at the Dept. of Agriculture at https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/wildland-fire :
"Overall, more fire is expected in western forests and rangelands for the foreseeable future, because of the preponderance of ecosystem types in which drought is strongly correlated with area burned...including large, severe fires....Anticipate big surprises -- expect mega droughts, larger fires, species extirpations, loss of resilience and system collapses, and incorporate these events in planning."
A bunch of resources about climate change and drought from the US Geological Survey:
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/sbsc/science/climate-change-and-drought
More from NASA:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/climate.nasa.gov/news/2881/earths-freshwater-future-extremes-of-flood-and-drought.amp
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