In 2020 we watched the world burn.
"The raging wildfires in Colorado are the
two largest wildfires in that state's history."
"Forest fires have been raging in
the state for almost four days now."
"Firefighters backed by the country's air
force are struggling to contain vast
wildfires in Siberia."
"What links all of these fires is that they're
setting records for severity and damage."
This happens every single year: new headlines about unprecedented
heatwaves and deadly wildfires that broke records.
And journalists also sound like a broken record.
As fires finish up in California, they're starting again in Australia.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Wildfires aren't some far-away problem.
They burn about 3% of the planet's land each year.
Their smoke chokes cities far from the flames and, if we don't get them under
control, their carbon emissions will speed up climate change for the whole world.
Let's look at four ways people are trying to stop wildfires destroying the planet.
But let's clear one thing up first.
Climate change IS making wildfires more intense.
Scientists say the area of land burning each year has dropped over the last two decades.
But a landmark study in 2017 found that's mostly because we're building ranches and
farms on savannas where fires used to run wild.
The reason it feels like wildfires keep getting worse is that in areas where the
fires are burning, they're burning longer and hotter.
That means more smoke and even more air pollution.
In a way it's obvious.
When we burn fossil fuels and pump out greenhouse gases, we heat the planet,
and that makes droughts longer and heatwaves stronger.
This doesn't mean wildfires are more likely to start.
But it means there's more dry underbrush – the fuel that's ready to keep them burning.
Scientists have found that climate change has already made wildfires worse.
And people are starting to listen.
"I want you to act as if the house was on fire. Because it is."
Well, some people.
"It'll start getting cooler, you just watch."
"I wish science agreed with you."
"Oh well, I don't think science knows, actually."
The thing is fire is actually pretty simple.
You just need the right weather conditions, enough fuel
and a spark to light the flame.
So the obvious solution is to stop climate change.
It would stabilize the weather and leave less dry vegetation to fuel the flames.
But that's not all that needs to happen.
One solution is to fight fire with fire. Literally.
Long before California was California and Australia was Australia, Native Americans
and Aboriginal Australians used fire to keep the land safe and healthy.
This is where the expression fight fire with fire comes from.
Small blazes like this can remove flammable vegetation and create barriers
that fire can't cross.
Setting these in cool seasons protects forests from unchecked wildfires and even
encourages local plant growth.
Indigenous communities across the world have used fire like this to care for the
land for thousands of years.
But colonial settlers grew frightened of fire and stamped out most of
the intentional burning.
Here's the stupid bit.
By suppressing fires instead of managing them, we've actually increased the risk
of uncontrolled wildfires.
Firefighters in parts of Australia and the US actively prescribe controlled burning
to prevent the build-up of dead fuel.
But in most of the world this just hasn't become policy.
The Western style of fire management is
kind of in direct opposition
with indigenous fire.
So, lots of people support indigenous burning
on paper, or the concept of it.
But where the difficulties arise is when
our nation is actually out and you
want to burn, or want to light a match,
and then it's kind of:
"Woah, woah, slow down, you know,
did this get a proper approval,
did it follow the proper channels?"
No surprises that in a world scared of fire, there's little
understanding of indigenous land management.
But there's also a second problem.
The climate today is completely different
than it was hundred years ago.
You know, I talk to my elders and they tell me
about what the land used to look like,
where the water used to be,
where slews were.
The vegetation is completely different.
And that hotter planet is pushing firefighters to blend indigenous knowledge
with modern technology.
So we can control fires by slowing climate change and burning off the undergrowth.
But how do you stop a wildfire that's already started?
The fires last year were so big you could see them from space just by tracking the
plumes of smoke they emitted.
Satellites like this are increasingly guiding firefighters battling
the flames on the ground.
The World Meteorological Organization says that advances in satellite technology help
detect and monitor fires.
Scientists use weather data to model which areas are most likely to burn next.
But in areas that are hard to reach, it could still take firefighters too long to
put out the fires.
This is where drones come in.
By flying close to fires and collecting more granular data, drones provide a
clearer picture of what's going on.
They add an extra layer of information to satellites that are limited by the
resolution of their images and the time it takes for them to circle the earth.
Now what's left if all of that doesn't work?
Some people will be forced to move.
This isn't a solution but it does make wildfires less dangerous.
Because even though they are a part of nature, in some places wildfires
have just grown too strong to withstand.
For those who stay, there are ways to rebuild that can reduce that risk.
This includes building away from forests,
using fire-resistant materials such as concrete, even for roofs,
and clearing away dead vegetation.
They can also buy filters to protect them from smoke.
But there are limits to what this can achieve.
Temperatures are expected to rise by about three degrees this century.
In many parts of the world,
homes that used to be safe will find themselves at risk of fires.
But it isn't all bad news.
Uncontrolled wildfires are a problem that we've got the tools to fix.
That means better managing our planet and its forests, overcoming our fear of fire
and using technology to fight the ones that threaten our lives.
If you, for instance, did not know that indigenous communities
have managed the land with fire for thousands of years,
then click subscribe for more videos that give new and exciting solutions
to the environmental crises that are shaping our lives.