Can we prevent wildfires?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 27 November 2020
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This year, dramatic wildfires wreaked havoc across the globe from Australia to Siberia. CrowdScience listener Melissa wants to know the extent to which climate change is a factor in blazes that appear to be increasing in both frequency and intensity.
Presenter Anand Jagatia hears how scientists use alternative worlds in computer models, to understand the role that global warming plays. After Siberia’s hottest ever year on record, he discovers the impact of increasing temperatures on boreal forests – and how they could help release huge stocks of carbon that has been stored in the soil. But is there anything we can do to prevent this happening? He visits the UK’s Peak District region, where conservationists are re-wilding a massive area with a special species of moss, which may offer a solution to an increase in infernos.
Presented by Anand Jagatia and Produced by Melanie Brown for the BBC World Service.
[Image: Forest Fire. Credit: Getty Images]
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:31.2 | I guess in Australia we've all kind of gotten used to the fact that every summer |
| 0:38.1 | some kind of fire will break out somewhere but last summer was something completely different to what any of us have ever experienced before. |
| 0:46.0 | It was nothing short of apocalyptic. |
| 0:49.0 | This is crowd science from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:52.0 | People have been evacuated from homes and campsites near the Marseille region of France. |
| 0:56.5 | It's been labeled the worst fire season ever recorded. |
| 0:59.9 | I'm Anan Jagatia and this is the show that tackles your science questions. |
| 1:03.8 | Dozens of deadly wildfires are burning out of control on America's West... |
| 1:07.8 | In Siberia, the blazes have been fueled for months by extreme heat. |
| 1:11.0 | There was falling ash everywhere. In this episode we're focusing on a topic |
| 1:15.7 | that lots of people have written to us about. You didn't see blue sky for so long |
| 1:20.0 | it was just constant big coverage of smoke. and it's something that many of you have |
| 1:24.4 | experienced personally everybody's sort of on a state of emergency including |
| 1:29.6 | today's listener. Hello crowd science. |
| 1:33.2 | I'm Melissa from Melbourne, Australia. |
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