Wildfires

In the span of six months, the Uttarakhand Forest Department has lost over 4000 hectares of forest eco-system in 765 wildfires across the state. While the loss recorded in the reserved forests areas (642.11 hectares), and areas under civil soyam and Van panchayat the loss caters to 3,546 hectares. However, the government inducted 10,000 firefighters including 5,000 women to tackle the outbreak of fire, also promoting women empowerment.

As 2020 showed smoke plumes due to wildfires throughout the globe, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has named the year as the second warmest year. For the warmest, 2016 holds the record. “2020 is very likely to be one of the three warmest years on record globally,” stated the UN agency. It also stated that despite COVID-19 lockdowns, concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased. Moreover, oceans have also witnessed a marine… read-more

Data from Space Research Agency, Inpe, has shown that with 32,017 hotspots in September, Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest fires have increased by 13% when compared to 2019. Reportedly, the fire which was at the peak in August last year, had declined in September, which is not the case this year. However, experts worry that if the drought-conditions extended, the fire could kill virgin forests, apart from the already deforested ranches.