Not even the realm of Smokey the Bear is safe from the effects of climate change, as increased greenhouse gases slowly raise the average planetary temperature and lead to an increased risk and severity of wildfires not just in Western America, but all over the world. With the global average temperature on the rise as a result of climate change, earlier snowpack melts combined with longer heat and dry spells lengthen the wildfire seasons and open up room for more damage to be done. Looking specifically at the Western United States, an area consistently ravaged by powerful wildfires, the average annual temperature in the region was calculated to have increased by 1.9° F since 1970, nearly doubling the
Not even the realm of Smokey the Bear is safe from the effects of climate change, as increased greenhouse gases slowly raise the average planetary temperature and lead to an increased risk and severity of wildfires not just in Western America, but all over the world. With the global average temperature on the rise as a result of climate change, earlier snowpack melts combined with longer heat and dry spells lengthen the wildfire seasons and open up room for more damage to be done. Looking specifically at the Western United States, an area consistently ravaged by powerful wildfires, the average annual temperature in the region was calculated to have increased by 1.9° F since 1970, nearly doubling the