EARTH DAY THOUGHTS FOR ROCHESTER

By Damien McCann

EARTH DAY THOUGHTS

Every year science delivers a clearer picture of how modern society is warming our planet. Scientific studies have predicted that a warming atmosphere would increase the occurrence and severity of drought and wildfire. We are now seeing this play out in real time across the globe. We might not think of fire as a Massachusetts problem, but that’s changing. We now breathe Canadian wildfire smoke each summer, leading to respiratory ailments. Recent wildfires in Boxford, Lynn and Blue Hills show that we must begin taking the issue seriously. Firefighters are increasingly concerned about fires in wild areas abutting cities and towns. In these places fires can grow too hot and fast to contain, making it almost impossible to protect nearby structures (as demonstrated in recent, catastrophic LA fires). The Tri-Town area is an urban / woodland interface; we are blessed with abundant forests, but as our atmosphere warms, our droughts have become more frequent and severe, turning our woods into a potential tinderbox. Our wildfire risk is growing with each passing year. Given the right wind and drought conditions, fires can quickly become uncontrollable. In 1957, a wildfire in Plymouth burned 15,000 acres in just 12 hours. If you live in a forested neighborhood, you might consider fireproofing your yard to protect your home (a web search will take you a number of helpful sites for instructions).

Rochester Democratic Town Committee supports private and government action to curb global warming through reduced CO2 emissions, along with forestry measures to promote biodiversity and manage fire risk