Lecture Notes: The Impact of Climate Change and Wildfires

Introduction

Speaker began by mentioning a personal experience on May 3, 2016, while in an Italian writer's retreat.
Discovered the Fort McMurray wildfire through Twitter.

Location & Importance:
- Fort McMurray, Northern Alberta, not well-known outside Canada/North America.
- Largest source of foreign petroleum imports into the U.S.
- Produces over 4 million barrels a day.
- Located in the Boreal forest, isolated, sitting on bitumen (tar) deposits.
Fire Incident:
- The city was overrun by wildfire on May 3, 2016.
- Initiated the largest, rapid evacuation due to fire in modern times.
- 90,000 people evacuated, 2,300 square miles of forest burned.
Conditions:
- Unusual conditions for the subarctic: 33°C and 11% relative humidity.
- Comparable to Death Valley in July.
- Called it "21st century fire", due to its unique behavior.

21st Century Fire:
- Changes in heat and humidity lead to explosive fire conditions.
- Fires behave differently, harder to control, don't subside at night.
Radiant Heat:
- Reaches 500°C, vaporizes hydrocarbons in materials.
- Causes rapid burning of homes and infrastructure.

Petroleum & Fire:
- Petroleum industry described as a subsidiary of fire.
- Liquefied fuels have altered the atmosphere, increasing fire intensity.
Impact:
- Questioning whether fire serves humanity or vice versa.
- Geologic record may show fire benefits more from current arrangement.

Need for Decarbonization:
- Calls for rapid decarbonization and reevaluation of human impact on nature.
Optimism in Response:
- Moral obligation to be optimistic, proactive approaches are necessary.
- Nature's resilience: tendency to rebound and regrow when left unharmed.
Renewable Energy & Positive Changes:
- Significant progress in renewable energy, agriculture, and forestry.
- Encouragement to align with positive, sustainable efforts rather than increasing petroleum dependence.