WRITTEN BY ROGER PIELKE JR. ON JUN 9, 2023. POSTED IN LATEST NEWS
Climate Expert: What The Media Won’t Tell You About Wildfires
Wildfire, common to many healthy ecosystems, is a particularly challenging problem for society because of its impacts on property and health.
It is also challenging because people like to locate themselves in fire-prone places and do things that ignite fires.
We have learned through hard experience that complete suppression of wildfire is not the best policy — despite what Smokey Bear says — as it can lead to even greater and more harmful wildfire events. These dynamics together make wildfire a challenging issue for policy. [emphasis, links added]
This week, wildfire smoke from fires in Canada has drifted south along the eastern seaboard of the United States, affecting New York City and Washington, DC, and correspondingly capturing a lot of media attention.
The event should offer a teachable moment on the complexities of climate and the challenges of adapting to a volatile world.
With this post, I discuss some of the aspects of wildfires that I see as missing in the public discussion.
https://climatechangedispatch.com/climate-expert-what-the-media-wont-tell-you-about-wildfires/
