The role of wildfires in a sustainable future

Abstract

Climate change and global warming have led to many risks and changes for the Earth, including the increase in natural fires, floods, air pollution, unusual seasons, etc. The increase in the trend of global warming may bring many countries underwater. For instance, the populous Asian nation of Bangladesh is most vulnerable to rising sea levels. It is estimated that a rise of just one meter in sea level is enough to submerge 30,000 square kilometres of the coastal areas of Bangladesh and displace 15 million people. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the effects of different factors on global warming and take possible actions to reduce the damage. Among various factors, natural fires are believed to be responsible for up to 20% of greenhouse gas production in the world. The source of 80% of fresh water in the United States is believed to be forest lands, which means the effect of natural fires can be disastrous not only for drinking water but also for aquatic habitats. In this paper, we present a survey on the impacts of forest fires on global warming.

Cloud computing for sustainable development: An analysis of environmental, economic and social benefits

“…• Energy efficiency: Cloud data centers are typically more energy-efficient than on-premises data centers, as they can take advantage of economies of scale to optimize their energy usage (Sharifi, 2022).…”

Significant floral changes across the Permian-Triassic and Triassic-Jurassic transitions induced by widespread wildfires

“…Increased global warming, a trend that has been a result of human activity since the mid-20th century, has already led to an increase in the frequency and severity of fire weather worldwide, increasing the risk of wildfires (Jones et al, 2020;Sharifi, 2022). Previous studies have shown that climate change will increase the risk of wildfires, with a global increase in average temperatures; frequency and intensity/extent of heatwaves, and regional increases in the duration, intensity and frequency of droughts, have the potential to influence fire weather, and thus increase the ignition potential of wildfires (Jones et al, 2020;Sharifi, 2022). The potential of wildfire occurrence is increasing at an unprecedented rate, possibly comparable to the rapid climatic changes affecting Earth's ecosystems in its geological past.…”

“…The two examples discussed in this study highlight the interplay between wildfires and a wide range of environmental and climatic change processes in the Earth's surface systems, which is critical to the complete understanding of the feedback effects of wildfires and their changes on terrestrial ecosystems over various time scales. In modern ecosystems, global warming and drought-induced climate conditions triggered by high levels of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions pose several risks to the Earth's environment (Sharifi, 2022). In particular, these issues have the potential to increase the probability of widespread natural fires, which have a significant impact on plants, animals, and other natural resources worldwide (Sharifi, 2022).…”

“…In modern ecosystems, global warming and drought-induced climate conditions triggered by high levels of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions pose several risks to the Earth's environment (Sharifi, 2022). In particular, these issues have the potential to increase the probability of widespread natural fires, which have a significant impact on plants, animals, and other natural resources worldwide (Sharifi, 2022). The interaction between fuel and climate and weather conditions determine fire regimes, driving the transformation of smoldering peat fires and low-intensity surface fires to intense crown fires.…”

“…For example, changes in vegetation types can affect wildfire types, and frequent terrestrial wildfires can in turn affect biological and geochemical processes in the Earth's surface systems, such as nutrient transport, resulting in the loss of aerobic organisms in lakes and oceans (Glasspool et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2022). Similarly, wildfires account for up to 20% of global greenhouse gas production and can travel at speeds of up to 22 km/h, indicating their potential for rapid devastation over large areas of land (Sharifi, 2022). Therefore, when assessing risks to modern and future surface system ecosystems, the interactions and feedback processes between wildfires, climate, and organisms on different time scales should be properly taken into account.…”