Disaster preparation and evacuation procedures weren’t made for social distancing. The pandemic means response decisions are now fraught with contradictions.
Extreme wildfires can fuel tornadoes, creating erratic and dangerous conditions for firefighters.
David McNew/Getty Images
Charles Jones, University of California, Santa Barbara et Leila Carvalho, University of California, Santa Barbara
Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.
The health impact of wildfire exposure depends in part on the fire itself and how much smoke a person breathes in, how often and for how long.
AP Photos/Noah Berger
Fires that burn the forest burn crops and pastures alike. But farmers in the eastern Amazon are left with few good options.
The 2018 Camp Fire north of Sacramento burned everything in its path: cars, power lines, and buildings – and contaminated local drinking water.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Buildings aren’t the only things at risk in wildfires. Recent disasters in California have left local water system contaminated with toxic chemicals afterward, slowing return and recovery.
A wildfire burns outside Fairbanks, Alaska, after a lightning strike.
(Catherine Dieleman)
Arctic heat waves were once rare and unusual events. But as their intensity and frequency increase with climate change, their fallout could affect the north — and the planet — for decades to come.
State Government of Victoria/Agriculture, Water and the Environment/The Conversation
Wes Mountain, La Conversation Canada; Anthea Batsakis, La Conversation Canada et Nicole Hasham, La Conversation Canada
Last summer, Australia’s wildlife burned in one of our country’s worst bushfires. So what’s become of animal and plant survivors in the months since?
This Arctic heat wave has been unusually long-lived. The darkest reds on this map of the Arctic are areas that were more than 14 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in the spring of 2020 compared to the recent 15-year average.
Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory
The US faces a high risk of hurricanes and other disasters this year that could leave thousands of people in need of shelter. COVID-19 will make those disasters more dangerous to manage.
A fire burns in Squamish, B.C. on April 16, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Felix McEachran Mandatory Credit
Unstable funding, social distancing and the likelihood that other countries won’t be able to help — these all raise the potential of a nightmarish scenario.
Wildfire smoke makes it harder for firefighters’ bodies to fight off viral invaders. But firefighting conditions make the usual protective measures nearly impossible.
Fire cut a devastating swath through Australia in 2019-20, leaving a heavy toll of death and destruction in its wake.
(Shutterstock)
Philanthropy in the form of financial donations is not a solution to the natural disasters caused by climate change. A new philanthropy of social change is needed.
The Rim Fire burned 256,000 acres of the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park in 2013.
(USDA Forest Service, Chris Stewart)
The water that replenishes groundwater, rivers and lakes is under threat from climate change, pollution and aging infrastructure.
Sonoma County, California hired this herd of sheep from Sweetgrass Grazing to reduce invasive plants and flammable fuels and make room for native plants on protected land.
Sonoma Open Space
A new generation of ranchers is exploring sustainable ways to raise cattle, sheep and goats in California. Some are grazing herds on fire-prone lands, reducing wildfire risks and improving soils.
EPA-EFE/CPL Tristan Kennedy/First Joint Public Affairs Unit handout
Death is a natural part of ecosystems. But it’s unusual for a large number of animals to all die at once. Researchers are investigating how a mass mortality event affects what’s left afterwards.
Wildfire Specialist at the University of California Cooperative Extension; Adjunct Professor Bren School of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University