This summertime (2024) we have been once more reminded of the threat of wildfires across the globe. Over the news we have seen constant reminders of this threat such as smoky skies in the northeast US due to fires in Canada but also unstoppable fires in Greece and California. This natural phenomenon is destructive as it is terrified and on some occasions it is also affected by human activity.

A yearly occurrence

It has now become almost routine that summers in the northern hemisphere come with several catastrophic wildfires which are heavily covered in the media. Each instance highlights the vulnerability of our natural resources as well as the emotional impact of this destruction brought by climate change. To highlight the impact, in Canada massive wildfires have extinguished massive forest areas and sent the smoke thousands of miles away (MSN). Meanwhile, in Europe, Greece has dealt with wildfires of enormous intensity around the capital city of Athens causing evacuations of homes and threat to wildlife and human lives (CNN). In the United States, California continues to manage with its own wildfire crisis yearly. As of July this year, wildfires have burned through 750,000 acres across the state as highlighted by the Los Angeles Times. The fires have caused economic and environmental destruction that is difficult to fathom.

Is human behaviour related?

Although human behaviour is not the only factor that contributes to the emergence of wildfires, it can also not be ignored. Due to the extreme head and dry conditions, human mistakes or delinquent acts can have catastrophic impact on the environment. For example, improperly extinguished campfires or cigarettes or even deliberate actions such as use of heavy machinery in forestry areas can cause the accidental ignition of a fire. More worrying are also delinquent human actions such as land clearing for economic exploitation. Although human factors are not the mere cause of the problem, there is evidence that we need to find ways to increase education and instill more responsible behavior when dealing with natural resources.

How can we act responsibly?

Clearly wildfires can instill the feeling of fear, yet they can also increase our sense of responsibility. We can increase our efforts to protect the natural environment by being more mindful of our individual actions, supporting legislating policies that protect natural resources and even increasing awareness on the catastrophic impact of deforestation such as loss of natural habitats, increased CO2, ground erosion and reduce rainfall among other negative consequences.

This summer’s wildfires are a sad reminder that we must all play a part in mitigating the effects of climate change. Bthechange project is committed to increasing awareness on this important topic for students in higher education through educational videos and activities that can be found on our project website: https://bthechangeproject.eu/