Global Fire Map (May 1 - 10, 2014)

Here is a NASA map that show wild fires around the world for the first 10 days of May based on satellite data. Scientists indicate that climate change is increasing heat and drought thereby worsening wildfires. We are losing forests at an alarming rate, it is estimated that we have already lost half of the world's forests. Forests are known to provide a wealth of benefits including habit for a number of life forms, carbon sequestration, oxygen production and precipitation.

Video - Southern California's Firenadoes are Spawned by Climate Change Induced Drought

In Southern California, climate change induced drought is fueling strong winds which are fanning wildfires and spawning what is known as "firenadoes." Also known as fire whirls these spiraling column shaped vortexes of flames look like something out of an apocalyptic vision.

Climate Change Induced Wildfires Burn Out of Control in Southern California

One hundred and twenty five thousand people have been evacuated and businesses, schools and amusement parks have been shut down in Southern California due to the threat from wildfires. Many homes have been destroyed and millions of dollars of damage has been reported so far. The devastating spate of fires have also spawned what is being called "firenados", a surreal twister made of flame. The Fire Department is fighting the flames and has deployed water-bombers.

Local officials have indicated that there is a connection between California's wildfires and climate change. According to scientists, climate change has lengthening the fire season in California by several days per year. The Western wildfire season is now 78 days longer than it was in the mid-1980s. This year, due to worsening drought, the season effectively never stopped.

Wildfires in San Diego County, have forced the closure of schools, widespread evacuations and the devastation of approximately 10,000 acres which has prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency.

Triple digit temperatures are compounding the problem. The 102-degree reading in Oxnard, is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the month of May and just shy of the all time record for the area. Other areas in Southern California have also broken records.

The 400 acre Poinsettia Fire near Carlsbad has already claimed at least one victim and the Tomahawk fire that broke out on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base north of San Diego has destroyed more than 100 acres prompting evacuation of military housing and a naval weapons station.

On a brighter note crews have made substantial headway against the Bernardo Fire allowing people to go back to their homes. The Bernardo fire has burnt more than 1,500 acres. A total of 18,400 people were evacuated in and around San Marcos, north of San Diego. A total of 3 million people live in the area.

Bushfires, Climate Change and the Insane Policies of Australia's Federal Government

Although you would never know it by looking at the policies of Australia's ruling government, there is a clear connection between bushfires and climate change. January's record breaking heat waves have created the right conditions for a number of Australian bushfires that broke out in February. High temperatures dried out the landscape and contributed to the spread of fires. The flames are being fanned by high winds. The largest bushfires in and around Snowy River, National Park, are producing dense clouds of smoke. The three largest fires have already burned around one hundred thousand hectares (this figure does not include a number of other smaller fires).

Fire officers in the state of Victoria are urging residents to be prepared to evacuate and a town of 3,000 is considering evacuating in Queensland after two years with almost no rainfall.

At one point Prime Minister Tony Abbott's climate denying Federal Government rejected claims that bushfires are linked to climate change. However, a report by scientists indicates the two are indeed linked. At the end of last year Abbott's top business adviser, Maurice Newman referred to the "delusion" of global warming. These comments came as Australia ended its hottest year in more than a century of data collection, with 2013 eclipsing the record set in 2005. The new government is working hard to increase coal exports including a terminal that endangers the Great Barrier Reef.

The Rim Fire: More Evidence of Climate Change

The Rim fire currently engulfing California is the latest example of increasingly destructive wildfires caused by climate change. In the Southern Yosemite area alone there have already been four large fires this summer.

According to Matthew Hurteau, assistant professor of forest resources at Penn State University, warming temperatures, prolonged drought, and a century’s worth of fire suppression policy are “priming the system to make it more flammable.”

Video - How Climate Change Fuels Wildfires

From the Rim fire currently engulfing California to the Black Forest fire that burned more than 500 homes in Colorado, wildfires are becoming more destructive. In this video Matthew Hurteau, Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Science and Management at Pennsylvania State University explains the link between climate change and wildfires. Warming temperatures, prolonged drought, and a century’s worth of fire suppression policy are “priming the system to make it more flammable.”

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