Why ‘unprecedented’ wildfires in Russia are a cause for worry

Russia, one of the coldest countries in the world, witnesses massive wildfires that engulf a significant part of the forest and wildlife every year. The ravages of the wildfire are continuing to rise with green forests burning down and acrid smoke mixing up in the air.

Northeastern Siberia has had particularly seen intense fires this summer amid record-setting heat. Many other regions across the vast country also have battled wildfires.

Also Read: Explained| What is wildfire and why are they becoming so common?

However, this trend of wildfires is hardly limited to Russia, colder countries like the United States and Canada are now frequently experiencing these forest fires. In this article, we will attempt to analyse some factor that contributes to these wildfires in Russia and other such cold countries.

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Rising temperature

In recent years, Russia has recorded high temperatures which of course is a result of climate change due to global warming according to experts. The hot weather has caused permafrost to melt and fuelled a growing number of fires.

Global warming is the gradual heating of the inner surface of the Earth due to the excessive presence of carbon and green gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. This heat results in the melting of glaciers and the rising temperature of oceans seas and other water bodies.  

The Sakha-Yakutia region of Siberia had witnessed temperatures as high as 39 degrees this summer.

This is also the cause behind surging heat and warmer summers in countries like the USA and Canada.

Monitoring issues

The forests in Russia are spread across a huge area. This makes monitoring and quickly spotting new fires a difficult task.

In 2007, a federal network to spot fires from aircraft was disbanded and had its assets turned over to regional authorities. This policy change, which sparked criticism, had further deteriorated the monitoring process.

The Russian government later overrule its move and reinstated the policy, However, limited resources still remained a problem making it difficult for authorities to monitor forest fires.

Also read: Canada prepares to use military resources to tackle raging wildfires

Questionable fire regulations

Russian government adopts this bizarre concept of letting the fire go on of the cost of containing it is more than the loss. This might sound like an economical option but its impact on climate and natural resources is hard to comprehend.

Critics have long argued that this provision encourages inaction by authorities and slows firefighting efforts so a blaze that could have been extinguished at a relatively small cost is often allowed to burn uncontrolled.