Grab your marshmallows, 'cause things are about to get toasty with a hot debate about the Canadian wildfires in today’s Pulse. With some blaming the government, and others pointing to climate change and the natural lifecycle of large forests… this debate is lit.

The Pulse Results (55 Votes) 📈

Side A 60% - The Canadian government should do more to prevent uncontrolled wildfires

Side B 40% - Between climate change and fires being a natural part of the ecosystem, they can’t be prevented by the government

^{Poll closed: June 14, 2023}

‘The fire equivalent of an ice age’: Humanity enters a new era of fire

Published on: June 10, 2023
Published by: The Washington Post

Canada is quite literally lit AF right now. Between BC, Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia… over 11 million acres have burned this year alone. If you’re like us and don’t know what an acre looks like…That’s over 40,000 square kilometers😳 (whoa).

You know it’s a big deal when our neighbours across the border are salty about their air quality being affected. But, we wouldn’t necessarily say they’re being dramatic; with smoke blowing down from Canada to the Lower 48 states, IQAir (a Swiss air monitoring agency) listed New York City as having the worst air quality in the world for a short period last week.

It is safe to say that the Canadian government is taking a lot of heat right now around the management of the fires. With 16,000 people in Halifax alone being forced to evacuate their homes, people are taking a closer look at why this happened in the first place and demanding the government's immediate attention and prioritization.

But that does beg the question, is this a bigger conversation than just the Canadian government’s poor wildfire policy? Climate change is a leading contributor to these fires and some argue that they are a natural and necessary part of our forest ecosystem, impossible to prevent.

This is a hot one…

The Debate Showdown

Side A: The Canadian government should do more to prevent uncontrolled wildfires

• Uncontrolled wildfires cause loss of lives, destruction of ecosystems, and economic damage. The government has a responsibility to protect its citizens and natural resources. The 2016 Fort McMurray alone cost Canada $9 billion.

• The Canadian government spends about $1 billion per year on fighting wildfires. The UNISDR (The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) identified that almost 87% of that goes to response rather than prevention. The government needs to take this seriously and dedicate more focus on prevention.

• Months before the wildfire season started, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) had warned of low numbers of both career and volunteer firefighters across the country. With this knowledge, the government should have been proactive rather than reactive in reaching out to other countries for firefighter support.

• With climate change making uncontrollable wildfires more destructive, to help reduce the number of man-made fires, the government should take a harsher stance on people who break the Forest Fire Prevention Act.

Side B: Between climate change and fires being a natural part of the ecosystem, they can’t be prevented

• The fires are getting a boost from global warming. Our friends south of the border might want to blame us, but fighting global warming is not a single country’s responsibility. Unless all countries unite together soon, there’s no way that these fires can be prevented.

• Nathan Gillett, a Research Scientist at the Canadian government's Environment Department says that "human-induced climate change is warming Canada at about twice the global average rate". With hotter and dryer temperatures, until climate change is addressed globally, we can’t stop wildfires from happening.

• Asking any person, government, or organization to control nature is unrealistic. At almost 9.9 million square kilometers, Canada is one of the largest countries in the world. All the funding and proactive initiatives in the world won’t stop fires from happening and with a majority of the fires caused by lightning, you’d have better luck trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

• Despite the destructiveness, large forest fires play an essential role in balancing the ecosystem. Whether we like it or not, the fires are necessary for the regeneration of the forest.

Previous Debate

Previous Pulse Results (68 Votes) 📈

Side A 61.76% - Vision Pro is a revolutionary piece of hardware that will change how we interact with our digital and physical world

Side B 38.24% - Vision Pro is an overhyped, overpriced toy that is too early for its time

Key Takeaways:

• In Canada, over 11 million acres of land has already burned this year alone.

• On Wednesday June 7th, IQAir ranked New York City as having the worst air quality in the world amongst major cities.

• 16,000 people in Halifax have been forced to evacuate their homes.

• 2016 Fort McMurray fires cost Canada $9 billion.

• The Canadian government spends about $1 billion per year on fighting wildfires.

• Months before the wildfire season started, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CFAC) had warned of low numbers of both career and volunteer firefighters across the country.

• Nathan Gillett, a research scientist at the Canadian government's environment department says that "human-induced climate change is warming Canada at about twice the global average rate."

• The East Coast of the United States, along with the rest of the planet, has entered a new fire era referred to as the "Pyrocene" by Stephen Pyne, an emeritus professor at Arizona State University.

• Rising temperatures from fossil fuel burning and human activities have increased the frequency and intensity of wildfires, making their impact felt far from where they ignite.

• Climate change creates favourable conditions for fires by turning fire-prone forests into tinderboxes due to warm air sucking water from soils and trees, leaving behind dry vegetation that can easily ignite.

• The ongoing Canadian fires are likely influenced by climate change, as the record heat and drought in various regions of Canada have created underlying conditions for the blazes.

• Human-caused climate change has doubled the area of forest burned in the American West since the 1980s, and wildfires in British Columbia in 2017 burned seven to 11 times more than they would have without human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

• Wildfires release significant carbon emissions, contributing to climate change and creating feedback loops that exacerbate the problem.

• Decades of fire suppression policies in many countries have created massive fuel loads, increasing the risk of intense wildfires.

• The air pollution impacts of wildfires are a serious concern, with fine particulate matter from smoke causing health problems and contributing to premature deaths.

• Bushfire smoke has been linked to a rise in premature births, lower birth weights, and heart and lung problems, affecting entire communities and individuals of all ages.

• The economic impact of wildfires is long-lasting, with significant damage to forests, farms, fields, and tourism industries.

• Prescribed burns and efforts to reduce carbon emissions can help mitigate the impact of wildfires, but humanity must acknowledge and adapt to the reality of living in an era of increased fire activity.

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