Parched peatlands fuel Indonesia's blazes

Science 

Fires set illegally to clear forests and peatlands for agricultural use in Indonesia are once again generating an acrid haze that has spread across that country and its neighbors. But a number of scientists say the haze emergency—which sent scores to hospitals with respiratory problems and led to school closures and flight cancellations—could have been worse. In the years since the last major haze event in 2015, Indonesia has moved to restore peatlands, making them more fire-resistant; enhanced restrictions on converting primary forests to agricultural lands; and stepped up enforcement of bans on fires. Experts praise the progress but say even more needs to be done, particularly in area of enforcement of laws holding plantation operators liable for fires on their lands even if they don't deliberately start them.

Black carbon lofts wildfire smoke high into the stratosphere to form a persistent plume

Science Magazine.

In 2017, western Canadian wildfires injected smoke into the stratosphere that was detectable by satellites for more than 8 months. The smoke plume rose from 12 to 23 kilometers within 2 months owing to solar heating of black carbon, extending the lifetime and latitudinal spread. Comparisons of model simulations to the rate of observed lofting indicate that 2% of the smoke mass was black carbon. The observed smoke lifetime in the stratosphere was 40% shorter than calculated with a standard model that does not consider photochemical loss of organic carbon. Photochemistry is represented by using an empirical ozone-organics reaction probability that matches the observed smoke decay. The observed rapid plume rise, latitudinal spread, and photochemical reactions provide new insights into potential global climate impacts from nuclear war. More here.

Smoke-filled skies over San Diego - fall 2007.
Photo by Eric Pettigrew.

Albertans lose more than they gain with carbon tax repeal

PEMBINA INSTITUTE

Slave Lake, Alberta, June 2011. The aftermath of the wildfire 
that destroyed one third of the town. Photo by Mrsramsey.

Pembina Institute reacts to repeal of Alberta’s Climate Leadership Act. Story here.

The destruction of the Earth is a crime. It should be prosecuted. Opinion.

George Monbiot  - The Guardian.

Ashcroft Reserve wildfire - Look Lake, BC, 2017. Photo by Shawn Cahill

Businesses should be liable for the harm they do. Polly Higgins is pushing to make that happen. Story here.

Enormous Painted Lady Migration in California

Daily Kos

A painted lady.

Things are shaping up for 2019 to be another massive migration year for Painted Lady butterflies.  Story here.

‘The devastation of human life is in view’: what a burning world tells us about climate change

The Guardian

Houses burn in the monster "Fort Mac" fire in Alberta, CA.
IMAGE CREDITS: TWITTER, INDIATODAY.

I was wilfully deluded until I began covering global warming, says David Wallace-Wells. But extreme heat could transform the planet by 2100. Story here.

The 'new abnormal' — California megafires explode with off-the-charts fury

The National Observer

California is on the burning edge of climate breakdown. Story here.

A Season of Smoke

Please also read: "Time to Wake up & Smell the Smoke!"

Wildfires make their own weather, and that matters for fire management

ScienceNews

A wildfire on the Ashcroft reserve in B.C, 2017. Shawn Cahill.

New prediction tools zero in on how blazes throw embers and make weather that fans the flames. Story here.

Wildfires rage in Arctic Circle as Sweden calls for help

The Guardian

Sweden worst hit as hot, dry summer sparks unusual number of fires, with at least 11 in the far north. More here.

Is B.C. headed for another devastating summer of wildfires?

Canada’s

National

Observer

Ashcroft Reserve wildfire as seen across Loon Lake, BC. July 2017 Photo by Shawn Cahill.

With warm weather, a high snowpack and floodwaters rising throughout the province, it may seem like B.C. is set to repeat last year’s weather patterns, which led to a catastrophic summer of fires. But it’s still too early to reliably predict…. More here.

Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future - a new book by Edward Struzik

The Science Writers and Communicators of Canada is pleased to announce the winners of this year's book awards for books published in 2017.  The winner in the general audience category  is Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future by Edward Struzik.

A summary.

For two months in the spring of 2016, the world watched as wildfire ravaged the Canadian town of Fort McMurray. Firefighters named the fire “the Beast.” It acted like a mythical animal, alive with destructive energy, and they hoped never to see anything like it again. Yet it’s not a stretch to imagine we will all soon live in a world in which fires like the Beast are commonplace. A glance at international headlines shows a remarkable increase in higher temperatures, stronger winds, and drier lands– a trifecta for igniting wildfires like we’ve rarely seen before.

This change is particularly noticeable in the northern forests of the United States and Canada. These forests require fire to maintain healthy ecosystems, but as the human population grows, and as changes in climate, animal and insect species, and disease cause further destabilization, wildfires have turned into a potentially uncontrollable threat to human lives and livelihoods.

Our understanding of the role fire plays in healthy forests has come a long way in the past century. Despite this, we are not prepared to deal with an escalation of fire during periods of intense drought and shorter winters, earlier springs, potentially more lightning strikes and hotter summers. There is too much fuel on the ground, too many people and assets to protect, and no plan in place to deal with these challenges.

In Firestorm, journalist Edward Struzik visits scorched earth from Alaska to Maine, and introduces the scientists, firefighters, and resource managers making the case for a radically different approach to managing wildfire in the 21st century. Wildfires can no longer be treated as avoidable events because the risk and dangers are becoming too great and costly. Struzik weaves a heart-pumping narrative of science, economics, politics, and human determination and points to the ways that we, and the wilder inhabitants of the forests around our cities and towns, might yet flourish in an age of growing megafires.

Edward Struzikhas been writing about scientific and environmental issues for more than 30 years. A fellow at the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, his numerous accolades include the prestigious Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy and the Sir Sandford Fleming Medal, awarded for outstanding contributions to the understanding of science. In 1996 he was awarded the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and spent a year at Harvard and MIT researching environment, evolutionary biology, and politics with E.O. Wilson, Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin. His 2015 book, Future Arctic, focuses on the effects of climate change in the Canadian Arctic and the impacts they will have on rest of the world. His other books include Arctic Icons, The Big Thaw, and Northwest Passage. He is an active speaker and lecturer, and his work as a regular contributor to Yale Environment 360 covers topics such as the effects of climate change and fossil fuel extraction on northern ecosystems and their inhabitants. He is on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, a citizens’ organization dedicated to the long-term environmental and social well-being of northern Canada and its peoples. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

If you want to buy the book, click here.
Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future by Edward Struzik

Tree rings reveal increased fire risk for southwestern US

Nature

The Pacheco fire in New Mexico. 2011.

Photo by John Fowler.

Historical record points to climate patterns that could prime the region for an intense fire season. Story here.

Houses built too close to bush spread huge California fires on 'front line of climate change'

CBCnews

California wildfires from the International Space Station. NASA/Randy Bresnik
State's 'new normal' is a fire season 70 days longer than just 15 years ago. Story here.

As 'Epic Winds' Drive California Fires, Climate Change Fuels the Risk

Inside Climate News

Santa Ana winds are whipping up wildfires in Southern California after a devastating season in wine country. Rising temps can make the West dangerously combustible. Story here.


USDA photo

Climate Change Health Impacts Demand Urgent Action

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment 

“The human symptoms of climate change are unequivocal and potentially irreversible – affecting the health of populations around the world, today. Whilst these effects will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in society, every community will be affected.” Details here.

Wildfires in Portugal. Wikimedia Commons.

'Makes it more extreme:' Prof says climate change added to historic fire season

CBC news

For every degree the temperature rises, there's a 12 per cent increase in lightning. Story here.

Ashcroft Reserve wildfire as seen across Loon Lake, BC. Shawn Cahill

Fort McMurray fires cause air pollution spike on other side of continent

CBCnews

Smoke from Alberta fire was so massive the plumes created their own environmental system. Story here.

Near "Fort Mac" spring '16. Photo by DarrenRD

Fire damages ranches in southwestern Alberta

The Western Producer

Damage has been reported to farms and ranches on the perimeter of Waterton Lakes National Park as a wildfire continues to burn in southwestern Alberta. Details here.

Waterton National Park, Canada remains under evacuation as wildfire grows to 8,500 hectares

CBCnews

Weather forecast calls for high winds on Saturday and Sunday, which is a concern for firefighters. Story here.