Wildfires

Mike Hirn asked:


The amount of land dedicated to forests, particularly old growth forests, could significantly reduce global warming. Forests are an important use of land in most countries, and in modern times they take on a new, environmental significance. Plant life scrubs carbon dioxide from the air. Carbon dioxide is a main cause of global warming and can be eliminated just by being in the vicinity of certain plants.

Trees are the best carbon dioxide scrubbers found in nature. Old growth trees are especially good at removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it within their cells. For this reason, old growth trees need to be preserved. The lumber trade argues that the old growth trees can be easily replaced by new trees, but this is simply not the case. New trees do not possess the abilities that old trees have of preventing global warming by trapping carbon dioxide. Some proponents of cutting suggest that certain new trees are capable of trapping more greenhouse gases than the old trees. This is not true when you compare the new special trees to trees that have many decades of growth.

Several studies have been done to estimate the potential impact on global warming caused by deforestation of tropical rainforests. Loggers do not just take out mature trees for lumber. People who want to clear a place to live, work, or farm in the jungle do so by cutting and burning large portions of rainforest land.

Deforestation increases other greenhouse gases, including methane and nitrous oxide. Global warming is a foreseeable reality when the rainforest and other forests are destroyed.

Preventing global warming should first focus on cutting greenhouse gas emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels. However, deforestation comes in a close second as a cause and should also be part of conservation efforts.

When people learn that forests are important in stopping global warming, they can help preserve them by refusing to use lumber that comes from old growth forests and rainforests. Laws have been proposed to curtail logging as a way to prevent global warming. Bans on clear-cutting, a practice that destroys acres upon acres of old growth trees, have also been suggested.

It is easy and tempting to continue to blame the deforestation problem on “those people” clearing land in the rainforests. The truth is that a tree in your neighborhood is as valuable as one in the rainforest when it comes to removing carbon dioxide. It is important to think and strategize on a global scale but it is important to also act on a local scale. We may well have more impact on the actions of those in our sphere of influence than those half a globe away. Look in your backyard, is there room for a few more trees? If so go plant some.



WILSON

Augustine O.Udogwu asked:


Facts and Figures

Did you know that from 1980-2005, nearly 7, 500 natural disasters worldwide took the lives of over 2 million people, 72.5 per cent of which were caused by weather, climate or water-related hazards such as droughts, floods, windstorms, tropical cyclones, storm surges, extreme temperatures, land slides and wild fires, or by health epidemics and insect infestations directly linked to meteorological and hydrological conditions? 

In 2008, 321 natural disasters killed 235, 816 people — a death toll that was almost four times higher than the average annual total for the seven previous years, partly due to Cyclone Nargis which left, according to United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), 138, 366 people dead or missing in Myanmar.

Over the past 50 years, 90 per cent of natural disasters have been of hydrometeorological (rain-related) origin. 

In the period 1956-2005, the number of disasters and related economic losses from weather-, water- and climate-related hazards has increased nearly 10- and 50-fold respectively. However, the reported loss of life has decreased from 2.66 million (over the decade 1956-1965) to 0.22 million (over the decade 1996-2005), due particularly to increasingly accurate early warnings.

Every year, disasters related to meteorological, hydrological and climate hazards cause significant losses of life. Although natural hazards cannot be prevented, early warning of the impending events can significantly reduce the death and destruction associated with them.

Heat Waves

A heat wave is a period of unusually hot weather that lasts from a few days to a few weeks. During heat waves, there is not much wind around to cool down the Sun’s heat. This means that most of the heat gets trapped close to the ground and the lower air levels. As the temperature rises, people, animals and plants suffer from heat stress. Heat waves cause stress on the body when there is too much heat being absorbed and not enough heat being lost though the body’s normal cooling processes. When a person is not able to cool down, their body temperature gets higher, they breathe quicker and their pulse increases.

As the body gets hotter and hotter, water is lost from their blood and it gets thicker. This can cause heat stroke and people can suffer serious or even fatal consequences. Heat waves could affect the health status of millions of people in some parts of the world, particularly those with low adaptive capacity. They can lead to increased death rates from heart and respiratory diseases. A few years ago in 2003, a deadly heat wave swept across Europe leaving more than 70 000 deaths in its wake. Human diseases, injury and death caused by heat waves can be reduced when early warning from concerned authorities reach communities in a timely and easy to understand manner.

Sand and Dust Storms:

Dust and Sand Storms pose a myriad of health problems to local populations and ecosystems. They can disable the respiratory system, reduce visibility and damage crops. Some studies have suggested that acute respiratory infections among children, to which sand and dust storms contribute, are one of the major causes of mortality in developing countries. So if forecasts of dust and sand plumes are in your direction you need to protect yourself.

Wildfires

Wildfires or bushfires are fires that burn uncontrollably and that are not managed. A bushfire can burn quickly and can be very devastating if they are not detected and extinguished. In the drier seasons, the dangers of bushfire are very high and are usually caused by lightening or by humans. A bushfire can destroy homes and buildings, devastate crops, and threaten the lives of humans and animals. Wild fires can lead to smog-related health problems. Conditions of drought or heat stress can predispose an area to wild fires. 

According to the World Meteorological Organization, WMO, the number of disasters due to weather, climate or water extreme events has increased 50-fold over the past half century. Natural hazards like floods, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, and sand and dust storms not only affect people’s safety and health directly, they also can deny them access to life-sustaining food and water. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Fourth Assessment Report states that weather and climate extremes are very likely to increase with the changing climate.

Nothing can withstand the awesome power of nature. Most times the Atmosphere’s reaction against man is a backlash of man’s action against it. When the atmosphere reacts violently, know how to defend your life by knowing why it acts the way it does. There’s always something new, topical, sizzling hot, refreshing, exhaustive and very authoritative about the weather and the atmosphere at www.cheap-bargain-mall.com/globalweather.html that you will need when the weather threatens to snuff life out of you as it has done to many. 



JESS

MIKE SELVON asked:


National parks and wildlife within these parks may sometimes be an exhilarating experience but, from a timid deer to an aggressive bear, wildlife should be dealt with caution and care.

These animals are called “wild” life for a reason. While spotting a wild animal within the parks may not happen every time you visit, the sightings do happen, and it’s a good idea to know the safety tips should you happen upon any wildlife.

In any Canadian national park or national parks and wildlife reserves, a creature as benign as a deer may cross your path. This passiveness can sometimes be mistaken for friendliness.

All it takes is one sudden movement and you will be defending yourself from a frightened animal protecting itself on instinct. An angry or frightened deer can be just as dangerous as a charging bear. A human can’t out run an animal and has fewer defenses when it comes to dealing with claws, teeth and antlers.

These few tips about national parks and wildlife may help you have a safer trip.

Do not feed the animals. You may see signs with these words in any national parks and forests. This is not because the park rangers want the animals to die of famine. This tip is as much as protection for the animals as it is for people.

Wild animals have found food on their own before humanity created a sanctuary for them, they will find food long after. If you approach a deer or elk with some food, if you manage to get close enough for it to eat out of your hand, this may seem like a pristine photo opportunity.

However, this innocent situation could turn ugly. One flash from the camera could cause the animal to lash out with its hooves or horns. Also, as these animals become more and more habituated to human interaction, they may start begging for handouts and may even get aggressive if they don’t receive any.

Leave these animals to fend for themselves. Take a picture from afar. It may save you a few broken bones and bruises when you leave these Canadian national parks.

Keep children and pets close by. National parks and wildlife can sometimes seem like play things to kids. There are many places for young ones and pets to disappear in dense cover.

Also, even if you have an eye on them, keep them within grabbing distance. To some wildlife, small children and pets are the size of their prey. Even something as harmless as a chipmunk may suddenly become violent and bite.

Canadian national parks and forests are wild habitats and should never be considered substitute playgrounds for children.

Treat all wildlife with respect. Whether this means giving them their space or putting away all garbage so you leave no damage to their habitats, wild animals deserve this courtesy.

You wouldn’t like a stranger to come into your place, flop on your couch, and take pictures while throwing empty wrappers on the floor, would you? Neither do the animals in our national parks and forests.

Interfering with their instinctual needs can threaten their natural development. Canadian national parks are these animals’ homes. We are simply their guests.

For more safety tips, you can visit any national parks and wildlife websites or contact your local national parks. Before you head out into the wilderness, inform yourself on the type of animals you may have sightings of and learn about their typical defensive behavior.

Learn the animals’ habits, what they eat, when they sleep or where they hunt. The more you know, the better your chances are of having a harmless encounter. Better safe than sorry!



DERRICK

Andrew Stratton asked:


In late October 2003 the state of California was slammed with the worst wildfire that it had experienced to that date. Twenty people where killed, and damage to local communities and infrastructure was extensive.

The wild fire extended from the Mexican boarder north to the suburbs of Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of acres of forest where destroyed. Local vegetation and animal life suffered very large losses and many communities where effected by the disaster. Thousands of different species where decimated by the fire. It is expected that certain of the larger species like elk, and deer, may take several years to repopulate. Even the local salmon stock feeding in the streams running through the burning acreage suffered losses from the fire.

Damage to the area was devastating. 20 people died including one of the fire fighters. Two thousand seven hundred homes and buildings where destroyed and many businesses had to close. This wildfire was to become the most expensive fire to ever hit the United States. Damage to phone lines, and local utilities caused major outages. People were displaced from their homes and many had to leave the state to find accommodation elsewhere during the clean-up period.

The social impact of this wild fire was a bit unexpected. The personal losses incurred by local residences and the tremendous losses to local wildlife resulted in a push by the United States federal government to pass the “Healthy Forests” bill which allocated seven hundred and sixty million dollars to the urban interface between urban cities and forest areas.

The economic impact of this wildfire was catastrophic. One and a quarter to two billion dollars in damages resulted from the fire, making it the most costly wildfire in American history. Losses to businesses and local municipalities amounted to millions of dollars in lost revenues, not to mention the cost of replacing or restoring lost information, and resulted in hardship for many local area residents. The logging industry, of course, took a major financial hit.

Not all natural disasters kill thousands of people, yet most will spread their effects over huge areas and cause massive damage to our fragile and over-used infrastructure. Telephone lines and utilities like electricity, water and even sewage are easily interrupted. Businesses are not able to operate without these simple services. Lost data means lost revenues. Even something as simple as a forest fire can have a huge social and economic influence on our lives. In this case it appears the best offense is a great defense. Always be prepared.



VERN

Bob Flannery asked:


Smokey Bear the icon was born in the mind of Rudy Wendelin, who was an artist for the U.S. Forest Service. In 1944 the Forest Service authorized his poster of Smokey Bear as the symbol for fire prevention.

The real life Smokey Bear was discovered in 1950 in the Capitan mountains in New Mexico. Firefighters were battling a powerful human caused wildfire when they came upon a bear cub which had climbed a tree to escape the flames. When firefighters finally were able to rescue the bear cub, he had been badly burned. The firefighters nursed him back to health, named him Smokey Bear, and the living symbol of Smokey Bear was born.

Smokey Bear was eventually flown to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. where his legend and popularity grew around the world. Smokey Bear became an international superstar and the popularity of the Forest Service’s ad campaign grew and grew. Smokey Bear became so popular that congress passed a law governing the commercialization of the name and image of Smokey Bear. Smokey Bear also received his own zip code because of the huge amounts of fan mail he received from fans across the globe.

Smokey Bear is the only individual animal to be honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp. In 1984 the USPS released a stamp created by the original artist Rudy Wendelin, depicting Smokey Bear clinging to a burnt tree with the Smokey Bear emblem in the background.

The Smokey Bear campaign is the longest running public ad campaign in U.S. History. Smokey’s forest fire prevention message remained unchanged for 50 years until the Ad Council updated his message to address the growing number of forest fires around the U.S.



DENNY