All of us have observed a conspicuous increase in the forest fires world over. No continent has been left untouched by this phenomenon. According to a report prepared by CRISO, which is an Australian government agency on science, climate change has caused a major role in forest fires in Australia during the last 30 years.
As per this report, the forest destroyed by wildfires between the years 2002 to 2019 was 800% than the forest destroyed between the years 1988 and 2001.
A scientist with this agency, Pep Canadel has stated that due to the change in climate, there is a constant change in the pattern of the rainy season. During 2019 and 2020, approximately 186000 sq. km of wood was burnt by the forest fires.
During 2019 and 2020, a large area of Amazon in Brazil was consumed by forest fires. In the years 2018 and 2020, there were large forest fires in western America and British Columbia. In Tanzania, there is a massive forest fire in 2021 which is not yet under control.
About 67% of forest fires globally occurred in the areas where there was the cutting of trees. By the year 2030, 27% of Amazon forests will be lost. The forests fulfill 15% of the world’s need for oxygen. These fires add to the overall pollution levels.
The world needs to find ways to minimize dependence on forests or else the results will be catastrophic. The destruction of this wealth will start a chain of irreversible events like scarcity of water, sharp changes in the seasons, and global warming. We are at a stage where each one of us is a stakeholder, and the action required is NOW.
