Wildfires - Inside Climate News

A Path Through Scorched Earth Teaches How a Fire Deficit Helped Fuel California’s Conflagrations

By Bing Lin — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Fifty miles on the Pacific Crest Trail with a wildfire expert proved useful and prescient—as I discovered when I caught sight of the smoke.

By Bing Lin

Miles to Go: The second in an ongoing series Inside Climate News fellow Bing Lin is reporting from the Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California. Over the course of a 500-mile hike, the series is exploring the impacts of climate change on the trail and what outdoor recreation can teach society about sustainability, adaptation and coexistence in a warming world.

Disaster Recovery Is a Delicate Act of Balancing Priorities

By Mathilde Augustin — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 21:43:57 +0000

A year after wildfires, Maui is grappling with the challenge many communities face post-disaster: how to recover without worsening inequalities.

By Mathilde Augustin

Last Thursday marked the first anniversary of the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged Lahaina on Hawaii’s island of Maui. The blaze claimed more than 100 lives and left more than 12,000 people without housing.

First Snow, then Heat Interrupt a Hike From Mexico to Canada, as Climate Complicates an Iconic Adventure

By Bing Lin — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Impassible snow foiled my 2019 hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, and my return to that section this summer was “flip-flopped” by record heat. In the weeks ahead, I’m backpacking to see how climate is changing wildfires, water and wildlife on the famed wild path.

By Bing Lin

Miles to Go: The first in an ongoing series Inside Climate News fellow Bing Lin is reporting from the Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California. Over the course of a 500-mile hike, the series is exploring the impacts of climate change on the trail and what outdoor recreation can teach society about sustainability, adaptation and coexistence in a warming world.

Supercharged by Climate Change, Western Megafires Explode Simultaneously

By Kiley Price — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 20:02:02 +0000

Heat waves and “flash droughts” fuel intense fires in California, Oregon and Canada.

By Kiley Price

In western North America, wildfire season is in full swing—and well on its way toward setting records. Over the past two weeks, infernos have been tearing through parts of California, Oregon and Canada, leaving scorched trails in their wake.

Fire Once Helped Sequoias Reproduce. Now, it’s Killing the Groves

By Caroline Marshall Reinhart — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 21:33:28 +0000

Two recent studies find that sequoia groves burned in megafires of 2020 and 2021 were so severely damaged that the world’s tallest trees may not be able to naturally regenerate.

By Caroline Marshall Reinhart

Giant sequoia groves in California’s Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks that were extensively burned in the megafires of 2020 and 2021 produced numbers of seedlings that were so “drastically low” in some areas that they may not naturally regenerate, according to two new studies by government scientists.

As Climate Change Dries Out the West, Fourth of July Fireworks Spark Increased Wildfire Risk

By Kiley Price — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 19:42:01 +0000

Fireworks ignite tens of thousands of wildfires across the U.S. each year.

By Kiley Price

In two days, fireworks will blast skyward in states across the U.S., painting the night with vibrant blue, red and gold sparks to celebrate Independence Day.

Can the Greater Sage-Grouse Be Kept Off the Endangered Species List?

By Wyatt Myskow — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 09:05:00 +0000

Warming and habitat loss diminished sage grouse populations 80 percent since 1965, putting them on the brink of an endangered listing. Western states, the federal government and energy and ranching interests are struggling to prevent that.

By Wyatt Myskow

OWYHEE CANYONLANDS, Ore.—Peering through a spotting scope in this remote section of eastern Oregon, Skyler Vold quietly muttered “Oh man” over and over.

Significant Environmental and Climate Impacts Are Impinging on Human Rights in Every Country, a New Report Finds

By Katie Surma — Tue, 21 May 2024 09:00:00 +0000

In its annual State of the World’s Human Rights report, Amnesty International also concludes that threats to environmental activists are growing globally.

By Katie Surma

Climate change and environmental destruction are becoming increasingly central to the human rights movement.

The Midwest Could Be in for Another Smoke-Filled Summer. Here’s How States Are Preparing

By Kristoffer Tigue — Mon, 20 May 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Fires fueled by drought are sending smoke south from Canada into the U.S., leaving folks exposed to dangerous particulate matter in the air.

By Kristoffer Tigue

Nick Witcraft knew he’d have a busy morning when his phone notified him that Canadian wildfire smoke was drifting across the U.S.-Canadian border eight days ago.

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Is Triggering Outdoor Air Quality Alerts Across the Midwestern U.S. It Could Pollute the Indoors, Too

By Kiley Price — Tue, 14 May 2024 19:37:00 +0000

Wildfire smoke can seep inside through the cracks and crevices of a home. To prevent health risks, filtration is key, experts say.

By Kiley Price

Throughout May, more than 140 wildfires have burned across Alberta and British Columbia. On Sunday, the thick, ashy haze billowing from these infernos drifted across the U.S. border, casting a blanket of smoke over Minnesota and Wisconsin, which eventually made its way to Iowa and other parts of the Midwest earlier Tuesday morning.