Extreme Temperatures
Over the last week, European nations including Spain, Portugal, France, and Britain have experienced the most extreme heat and drought recorded in their respective regions. The combination of the heat and drought have sparked widespread wildfires, resulting in the loss of lives, the destruction of land, and leaving many wondering when temperatures will start to drop.
CNN is reporting that, in Southern France, more than 32,000 people have been forced to evacuate due to wildfires that have spread over 27,000 acres. They also outline that wildfires in Spain and Portugal have been causing significant damage, even reporting that, “more than 70,000 hectares have been destroyed in Spain by fires this year,” which is, “almost double the last decade’s average.” Temperatures are breaking 108 degrees Fahrenheit across France and are more than 100 degrees in many other nations in the region. The extreme European heat waves are also significantly impacting drought conditions in the region, in fact, “nearly half of Europe’s territory [...] is ‘at risk’ of drought” as reported by CNN.
There’s been no shortage of extreme heat, drought, and wildfires in the news in recent years. The Western United States has experienced some of the worst wildfires in its history during the past decade, and the carnage coming from those events isn’t trivial. California specifically has been in a seemingly continuous severe drought for years now, which only contributes to wildfire spreading every season. It’s scary news to read, and those fears only intensify with each new extreme heat event.
There are a plethora of reasons why wildfires and events related to extreme heat are becoming more common and more severe. Rising atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide levels have contributed to increasing temperatures and temperature variation seen around the globe. From there, it’s a sort of cyclical series of dominoes toppling over, with increased drought conditions, heightened wildfire risks, and more carbon and methane gathering in the atmosphere.
It’s easy to get caught up in all of the doom and gloom of stories like this one - wildfire, destruction, and environmental degradation are all incredibly difficult to grapple with. However, knowing that there are methods being innovated, developed, and implemented to help mend the aforementioned damage in real time is one way to ease the worries we feel in the face of disheartening events. There are plenty of methods that individuals at home are implementing in their daily lives to help better their environmental footprint and contribute to a greener future. Composting is becoming a more commonplace practice each and every day, especially because diverting food waste from a trash can (and by extension, the landfill) to a compost bin or pile helps cut down methane emissions, which directly affects global temperature trends. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that, in 2018, 25 million tons of municipal solid waste was diverted from the landfill, which eliminates hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide and methane that would otherwise have made its way to the atmosphere. Besides composting, individuals can cut down on water consumption, energy usage, and evaluate transportation methods (carpooling, public transit) to be more environmentally conscious.
CNN says that, to help solve the crisis of wildfires and extreme heat related events, “sweeping change across the energy industry” is needed. While such “sweeping” changes aren’t yet standard in the energy industry, we are seeing large pushes in the right direction in the status quo. On a wider scale, increased access and use of solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy sources is helping reduce global reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. We’re also seeing many large corporations investing in green technologies, committing to carbon neutrality or offsetting their emissions, and researching ways to foundationally change some harmful practices in their operations.
The wildfires, heat, and drought conditions seen in Europe recently are extremely unfortunate, and much more widespread change is needed to help reverse the environmental damage already happening due to events like these all around the world. However, we can’t lose sight of current initiatives, technologies, and practices gaining traction to help better our collective environmental footprint. Reminding ourselves of green programs being created in the present is one of the ways we are able to remain hopeful for a greener future and a more sustainable Earth. It’s increasingly difficult to find hope in the dark circumstances we often find ourselves in, but being environmentally conscious in our own lives and pushing businesses and government entities to do the same can help ease those worries.
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