[ad_1]
The fires that have engulfed entire parts of Europe started earlier this year, are causing more damage than before, and in addition, another phenomenon has been noticed: they are becoming more difficult to extinguish.
Scientists say that if measures are not taken, the climate changes that are intensifying, will likely worsen the situation even more in the coming years.
Fighting forest fires on the old continent has never been more difficult. But why?
The roots of the problem are being sought in the continent’s so-called rural exodus, which began in the second half of the last century, when Europeans moved to cities in search of a better life, leaving large rural areas behind. .
This has made them more vulnerable. Forest areas are littered with combustible material, said Johann Goldammer, head of the Global Center for Fire Monitoring, a United Nations advisory body that includes rotting tree trunks, fallen branches, leaves and grass. dry.
“That’s why we have unprecedented risk from wildfires: because never before in history, say in the last 1,000 or 2,000 years, has there been so much flammable material around.” says the expert, according to whom “the landscape is becoming explosive” and even a small spark of fire can be enough to start violent fires.
In Portugal, where more than 100 people lost their lives in massive forest fires 5 years ago, authorities claimed that 62 percent of the fires are occurring as a result of agricultural activities, such as stubble burning.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link