Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Climatologists have been ringing the alarm on extreme climate change for far too long now, and amid these calls for substantial change, wildfires have been occurring around the world recently – like some real life apocalyptic events.
Forest fires which began in Algeria on Monday August 10 have already claimed at least 65 lives, with many soldiers perishing amid the rescue operations. But the recent heat waves have had a far reaching effect, sweeping Europe, North America, and Asia.
Both the US and Russia experienced record breaking wildfire-related emissions, as the countries still grapple with the weeks-long disasters. According to the Washington Post, Russia’s ongoing wildfires raging in the country’s northern Siberia “are bigger than all the world’s other blazes combined.”
Russia is currently fighting north of 190 forest fires in Siberia alone, which has resulted in closed airports roads, evacuated villages, and a massive “pall of smoke across the North Pole.”
The Independent reported on August 10 that there were still over 100 wildfires raging across the US, with the so-called Dixie Fire becoming the second biggest wildfire in California’s history. While it has burned away close to 50,000 acres, only about 21% has been contained by the local authorities.
Turkey has had little respite for 14 days now, as tens of thousands of people have had to evacuate, and at least nine people have died. ReliefWeb reported that a total of 270 wildfires had started in Turkey in the last 14 days alone. Recent rain helped contain the situation, with only 3 wildfires still ongoing.
Greek wildfires have received a lot of international coverage, including pictures showing boats evacuated local residents from engulfed islands. Most affected areas were Attica, Olympia, Messenia, and northern Euboea, with at least 2,000 people forced to evacuate.
With each passing year, wildfires continue to grow both in frequency and intensity, worldover. Climate change might seem like a hoax to some, but others reckon it is something to be concerned about when smoke covers the North Pole for the first time.
