Context:
According to a study published in The Lancet journal, over 90 per cent of the global deaths per year linked to air pollution from landscape fires were in low and middle-income countries, including India. The study covers all kinds of fires in any natural of cultural landscapes like fires in forests, grasslands, vegetated areas or wildfires.
Relevance:
GS I- Geography
Dimensions of the Article:
- Global and Local Implications of Landscape Fire Pollution
- What is wildfire?
- What causes Wildfire?
- How dangerous is inhaling wildfire smoke?
Global and Local Implications of Landscape Fire Pollution
Key Findings
- Global Mortality: Landscape fires are responsible for more than 1.53 million deaths annually worldwide. This includes fires from forestry, agriculture, and wildfires.
- India’s Impact: In India, these fires have contributed to approximately 1.2 lakh deaths annually over a span from 2000 to 2019, totaling 25.54 lakh deaths.
- Health Implications: The primary health risks from landscape fires include cardiovascular diseases (450,000 deaths/year) and respiratory diseases (220,000 deaths/year).
Geographic and Socio-Economic Impact
- Vulnerability in Low-Income Countries: Low-income countries experience a disproportionately higher number of deaths from respiratory illnesses due to fire pollution, about four times higher than in high-income countries.
- Most Affected Regions: The most affected countries include China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
Role of PM2.5 and Climate Change
- Airborne Risks: Pollutants such as PM2.5 and ozone generated by fires can travel hundreds of kilometers, impacting air quality far beyond the immediate area of the fires.
- Climate Feedback Loop: The increase in wildfires exacerbated by global warming contributes to long-term climate change and ecosystem disruption.
Preventive Measures and Local Observations in India
- Forest Fire Management: In regions like Maharashtra, efforts include awareness programs and the deployment of fire watchers to prevent the spread of fires from agricultural areas to forests.
- Emission Concerns: The smoke from large-scale fires contains black carbon and fine particles, which pose significant health risks and contribute to regional air quality degradation and climate change.
Outlook and Recommendations
- Increasing Risks: With the expected rise in frequency and intensity of wildfires due to climate change, the global health burden from landscape fire pollution is also anticipated to increase.
- Urgent Action Needed: Recommendations include adopting stronger preventive measures, enhancing air quality management strategies, and fostering international cooperation to address both the health and climate impacts of landscape fire pollution effectively.
What is wildfire?
- A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that burns in the wildland vegetation, often in rural areas.
- Wildfires can burn in forests, grasslands, savannas, and other ecosystems, and have been doing so for hundreds of millions of years.
- They are not limited to a particular continent or environment.
What causes Wildfire?
- Wildfires require right climatic conditions, burnable fuel and a spark.
- Rising temperatures suck moisture out of plants, creating an abundance of dry fuel.
- Drought and high heat can kill plants and dry out dead grass, and other material on the forest floor that fuel the fire once it starts sweeping through a patch.
- While dry vegetation is the burnable fuel that serves as kindling for fires, the spark is sometimes caused by lightning, at other times by accident or recklessness of the local population.
How dangerous is inhaling wildfire smoke?
- While fire poses a direct risk to people’s life and property, wildfire smoke, and particularly the concentration of PM 2.5, or particles smaller than 2.5 microns, can also affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
- For those already suffering from cardiovascular or respiratory illnesses, there is a risk of flare-ups.
Source: Indian Express
