The global earth’s current temperature on average is warmer by 1.8 degrees celsius. 1.8 degrees higher does not seem like a significant change however, global weather patterns have shifted immensely leaving thousands at risk every year.
WildFires and Climate Change
Wildfires have intensified over the past few years especially in the Western areas of the United States and Canada. Heat waves have become recurring, drying up soil over a longer period of time. With minimal moisture this causes greenery to dry dead increasing the likelihood of fire risk. Trees become a victim to extreme heat waves and droughts as well. According to National Geographic, an intensive drought powered by climate change set in between 2012-2016 in the West of the US. In the year 2014 million of trees died and the number has gradually been increasing every year.
Snow
With consistent hot weather and extremely dry conditions, snow packs are melting at a faster rate than average. “A 2016 study found that over 70 percent of the area burned in forest fires between 1970 and 2012 occurred in years where the winter snows disappeared early” (Borunda.) As the globe persists to warm, this weather cycle can become extreme, perhaps unbreakable in pattern for the future years to come.
COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference is currently being hosted in Glasgow, Scotland. The United Nations are aiming and proposing their solutions to keep the average global temperature below 1.5 degrees celsius. The upcoming years and actions we follow to combat climate change hold large control over the future weather patterns and natural disasters.
Written by Reesha Aspinall-Brown
References: climate-change-increases-risk-fires-western-us