Sarah Leamon: Anniversary of Fort McMurray wildfire should focus the mind on climate change

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      It's been just over a year since the small northern Alberta town of Fort McMurray was ravaged by one of the most destructive wildfires in recent history.

      The fire started on May 1, 2016. Only 48 hours later, the community was overcome.

      On May 3, 2016, a mandatory evacuation was ordered. Residents of Fort McMurray were forced to leave their homes, their vehicles, their pets, and their possessions behind while they fled through a scene that looked more like a Hollywood blockbuster than real life.

      In the end, the damage was indescribable. The city was left looking like a war zone, with entire neighbourhoods completely annihilated by the blaze. More than 2,400 homes were destroyed in what would become the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history.

      The damage is estimated to total over $9 billion. Even a year later, rebuild efforts are still ongoing.

      And while the City of Fort McMurray has proven itself to be a resilient community, filled with strong and determined individuals, there is a larger lesson to be taken away from this dramatic tragedy. That lesson has to do with environmental protections and wildfire prevention.

      A huge part of this puzzle has to do with carbon emissions and global warming. Although we may not to acknowledge it, this scientifically established phenomena did play a significant part in the Fort McMurray wildfires.

      Climate change should not be the controversial topic that it is. The scientific community has verified that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are at an all-time high since the start of the Industrial Revolution. The evidence backing global warming and climate change is unequivocal.

      And yet there are deniers, some of whom are in great positions of power.

      Since the Fort McMurray wildfires, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has endorsed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a move that will surely pave the way for further carbon emissions well into the future. He did this in spite of the fact that he accepts the potentially catastrophic reality of climate change.

      U.S. president Donald Trump, however, has declared climate change to be a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese government. He has slashed funding for climate-change initiatives and has appointed noted climate change deniers to his cabinet.

      That is troubling for our environmental future.

      But in spite of the deniers, climate change is real and it's a real threat to our continued existence on this planet.

      The Fort McMurray wildfire was the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history.
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      As average global temperatures increase, tangible changes will occur. Wildfires are just one symptom of our environmental ailments.

      Fort McMurray isn't the only example. Unfortunately, extensive wildfire damage has also occurred in the Alberta community of Slave Lake and even closer to home in Kelowna.

      According to experts, the increased wildfire activity over recent years is no fluke. Climate change has already made forests much drier than they used to be.

      This, combined with hotter, drier weather, leads to an increased risk of natural disaster. And while we can't pin the blame exclusively on climate change, we do need to seriously examine the correlation between human-influenced climate change phenomena and an increase in larger and more intense wildfires.

      Not doing so would be a disservice to ourselves and future generations.

      Acknowledging the reality of climate change and taking aggressive action toward curbing the carbon impact that we, as human beings, are having o this planet is of dire importance. We need to elect representatives who appreciate the importance of combatting climate change. We need to make conscious efforts to educate ourselves, each other, and younger generations about climate change. We need to make plans to fight it.

      Public education, strategic voting, and environmental policies are key to long-term success.

      But at-risk communities also require immediate, practical plans in order to prevent and reduce the impact that future wildfires will have on them.

      For instance, city planners should ensure that new structures are not erected in high-risk areas and are kept away from potentially flammable forests. Adequate buffer zones should be created between structures and forested areas. Contractors and builders should also be encouraged to use more flame-resistant materials when building residential and commercial properties, and firefighting programs and efforts should be well-funded.

      Again, education is key.

      We cannot afford to be ignorant any longer, or to downplay the seriousness of global warming.

      The Fort McMurray wildfire, and others like it, should be taken as a serious wake-up call to us all. More needs to be done to combat climate change and preserve our environment.

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