Out-of-control wildfires cause evacuations in western Canada
NPR Online NewsNov 28, 2022
Canada: 'Unprecedented' Fires Destroy 6.7M Acres of Forest
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Image copyright: USDA Forest Service [via Wikimedia Commons]
The Facts
On Friday, the Canada Interagency Forest Fire Center reported that there are 324 fires currently burning across the country, with 167 classified as out of control.
According to Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair, tens of thousands of people, including many from indigenous communities, have been forced to evacuate across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and Ontario.
The Spin
Narrative A
Climate change is exacerbating conditions that make for bigger, more destructive fires by causing more hot, windy weather and more dry vegetation. As the climate warms, fire seasons will get longer and continue to become more destructive. Canada's unprecedented wildfires should serve as a warning to all.
Narrative B
While climate change may exacerbate the severity of wildfires, prior and current forest mismanagement and politics play an equally, if not more important, role. Healthy forests need fire, but by neglecting the practice of controlled burns and other forms of indigenous forest management, forests as well as bushlands have grown out of control.
