The Human Impact of Wildfires in California

Humans are the main cause of wildfires. Not only are humans causing it, but they are prolonging the fire season much longer than it needs to be. Wildfires have been devastating the West, especially California, in the past few years. Wildfires are never going away, but humans can help lessen fires and the longevity of fire season.

2018 has seen one of the deadliest, biggest, and costliest wildfires in the recent years. In November 8, 2018, Camp Fire in the Los Angeles county tops the list of destructive wildfires. Environmental conditions in the West makes it more prone to wildfires, and humans must be informed of the conditions that nature has set. This will benefit future hazards that comes with wildfires.

When new technologies and advancements are taken into account, it is hard to think about how wildfires are becoming increasingly more common. People should know better how to prevent fires by now. According to the Congressional Research Service, wildfire statistics states that “every year since 2000, an average of 73,200 wildfires burned an average of 6.9 million acres. This figure is nearly double the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s which is 3.3 million acres (Hoover 1).” Wildfires are ever increasing with each coming year despite lower amount of nature life.

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A cause of man-made wildfires are the climate changes that humans are causing. Climate change is not something that humans can stop, but it is something humans greatly contribute to. An example of climate change is the consequence of the increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuels. California relies heavily on fossil fuels for energy such as natural gas and oil. Burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide which are normally not harmful to humans, but there is too much of a demand for it that it affects Earth like a layer of plastic wrapping around the world keeping heat in but not letting it out (Climate Change 1). Power plants, cars, and houses all produce some sort of carbon dioxide. Cars create more pollution in the environment, and most people own cars. The increasing human consumption leads to waste and harmful chemicals that produce an environment prone to wildfires.

Wildfires do not just cause thousands of lives, but it is also costly ranging in the billions each year. Fires burn everything in its midst whether it is a one-hundred thousand dollar home or a million dollar home. There are many more costs involvement such as firefighting costs, emergency response costs, destruction of work structures and machines are just amongst many damaging costs. The Government is the one who pays the most damages. Government spending in fire suppressions reaches an all time high of nearly 3 billion at $2,918,165,000, in contrast, 2016 cost the government $1,995,545,000 (National Interagency 1). The costs of wildfires are catastrophic. These are just two years alone. It will only increase from here on out.

Housing is a major problem in California. There is only so much space available in urban areas to accommodate the growing population. It does not help that people want to live in the mountain areas. Authors of “Land Use Policy” states that “by 2050 645 thousand houses will be built in areas currently designated as ‘very high’ wildfire severity zones (Mann 1).” These beautiful mountain view areas are not safe. The same reason people choose to live in these areas are the same reason they should not. The mountain view is not worth it when people see wildfires burning these beautiful mountains to ashes. People want to live near nature, but sooner than later they will be up close and personal with nature in the form of wildfires. A simple human desire can be a simple reason for a burning, excruciating death.

Some would argue that humans do not cause wildfires. The human population increases in relation to the increasing wildfire epidemic. Researchers at the University of Colorado and University of Massachusetts states from their research:

“Humans have vastly expanded the spatial and seasonal “fire niche” in the coterminous United States, accounting for 84% of all wildfires and 44% of total area burned. During the 21-y time period, the human-caused fire season was three times longer than the lightning-caused fire season and added an average of 40,000 wildfires per year across the United States (Balch 1).”

Most wildfires are man-made and even causing it so much that the fire season lasts longer than usual.

Humans can easily prevent man-made wildfires or at least lessen the cost of lives and damages. Simple things such as making sure to put out camp fires or bonfires from unintentionally starting a fire or not even starting one especially when winds are strong. A bigger solution to this epidemic is looking at cleaner energy because fossil fuels are not infinitely sustainable. Living in areas that is not safe and prone for wildfires is also a good idea because restricting housing developments in these areas benefit everyone in the long run reducing long-term costs and risks from wildfires (Mann 1).

Fire seasons have become increasing costly, damaging, and devastating. Humans are the ones to blame for it. They are causing and making fires in California last longer than necessary. Climate changes that humans contribute to and wanting to live near fire-prone areas are not very cost effective in the long run. Wildfires are only going to get worse if humans do not look at the big picture that they are the main cause of it. Humans and wildfires are never going away, but it does not change the fact that it is destructive. A simple prevention method starting with one person can stop one less wildfire.

Works Cited

1. Balch, K. Jennifer,. “Human-started wildfires expand the fire niche across the United States.”
2. PNAS, 27 February 2017, https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/02/21/1617394114.full.Accessed 17 December 2018.
3. Hoover, Katie. “Wildfire Statistics.” Congressional Research Service, 16 November 2018,https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF10244.pdf. Accessed 17 December 2018.
4. Mann, L. Michael. “Modeling residential development in California from 2000 to 2050:Integrating wildfire risk, wildland and agricultural encroachment.” ScienceDirect, 25 July2018, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837714001409?via%3Dihub,
5. Accessed 17 December 2018.National Interagency Fire Center. “Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only).” NIFC,https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_documents/SuppCosts.pdf, Accessed 17 December 2018.
6. “What Is Climate Change?” Energy Upgrade California,https://www.energyupgradeca.org/climate-change/, Accessed 17 December 2018.

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