We DID start the fire. Sicily suffers after wildfire.
Currently, many Southern European regions are being attacked by wildfires. Turkey’s wildfires have killed eight people, many people have been hospitalised for respiratory problems in Greece, and some residents of Southern Italy have also been forced to flee the fire-struck area urgently. Despite the huge efforts fire and rescue are making to control and extinguish the fires, the hot air from North Africa continues to contribute to the heatwave and thus, increases the chances of further wildfires occurring. Sadly, these fires are happening near densely populated holiday resorts and locations, causing devastation and harm to many people.
One of the tourist areas hit particularly hard by the recent wildfires is Sicily, Italy. Sicily is a place where nature seems to have handed all its most beautiful features to — mountains, hills, and most importantly, the vibrancy and crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea. With its unique and rich culture, endless natural landscapes, and collection of restaurants, bars, and eateries, this island of Sicily is a highly popular holiday destination over the summer months, contributing hugely to the Sicilian economy.
However, it has been reported that around 250 emergencies had been recorded last weekend in Sicily. The island endures a typical Mediterranean climate — wet and mild winters, and dry and hot summers. The coastal areas, especially the southwestern part, is considerably hotter due to its proximity to the African continent. Historically, it has hit a staggering and concerning 48 degrees Celsius.
Sicily, also known as “the golden basin” due to its rich natural environment and large amount of forestry, has suffered tremendous damage due to forest fires. The island has lost large areas of forest, woodland, and vegetation Flames therefore most directly damage forest resources of this island; large areas of woodland and ground vegetation have been burned and destroyed. As a renewable natural resource with a long growth cycle, forests are difficult to restore after suffering a serious large-scale fire.
Not only that, but the breaking out of a wildfire will seriously damage the living environment and the wide variety of fauna there, in some cases burning them to death. For areas dominated by tourism, it will hugely affect the local environment, inhabitant, tourists, and economy. Additionally, smoke burns with plenty of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and harmful substances that cause air pollution and harm the respiratory system, causing both short-term and long-term damage.
All in all, the climate crisis is the biggest issue of this era. Extreme droughts, wildfires, floods and extreme high temperatures are affecting our planet, and we are suffering unexpected natural disasters. The causes of wildfires are both natural and human factors. Therefore, environmental protection against global warming are vital issues that need to be actively promoted and publicly discussed. Humanitarian Operations would like to encourage everyone’s to consciously participate in it and do your best to stay safe, and protect our planet!
Written by: Meiya Su
Edited by: Amber Howells
Reference:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/italian-island-of-sicily-battling-forest-fires/2320795#
https://www.thelocal.it/20210801/wildfires-in-italy-over-800-flare-ups-recorded-this-weekend/
