It’s fire season in Southern California. Though California is susceptible all year long, the current conditions allow for the perfect storm. See, when the temperature gets into the high 90s to 100s and the humidity gets below 12%, we are a tinder box waiting to happen. In the last 5 years smoke plumes have become more common. You can’t help but wonder what the hell is going on. Is this just a natural warming of the earth or do we need to take some responsibility and believe that we are also contributing to global warming?
A fires contribution to global warming
Carbon makes up the fabric of our planet and what we are made of. The earth acts as a big reservoir to trap and hold centuries of carbon in the earths crust. When we remove fossil fuels from the earth or contribute to a wildfire we are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which causes more warming and more fires. A new 22 author report alerts that the current frequency of fires has a larger role in global warming than once thought. The article advocates a more significant consideration of how human fires contribute to deforestation, global warming and the air we breath. Fires are the accelerant to global warming that no one is talking about.
Our desertification of California
The reality is that California is an irrigated desert. Our incredible weather lends itself to growing great citrus and many crops, but providing water for farming and the millions of acres of tropical lawns, has gotten out of control. With no access to rivers and streams much of California’s water comes from multiple sources including groundwater. This constant extraction has created a massive impact on the ecosystem here where desertification has become a reality. Our lawns and trees are green, but the surrounding natural landscape will continue to get dryer, wither and eventually die.
We need to use less water
A simple solution is to just use less water. 50% of a homes water usage is on its plants and lawn. We all need to drastically cut our water usage and plant native plants or succulents that need little water to no water at all. A strong movement is growing toward Xeriscaping where you can use little or no water at all to create a great garden. This type of gardening is becoming the acceptable landscaping of choice for homes, parks and businesses.
Whether you believe in climate change or not, as our population increases we are running out of resources and need to look for alternative renewable solutions. Finding new fuel and power sources is only a part of the solution. Practicing conservation will hopefully balance out the California landscape and reduce the human made fires, thus managing a fires role in climate change.
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