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I don't want photos. I want an article. Tell me why this fire is happening. Pine beetles? Yes, well so much for investigative reporting, but if you just sea

I don't want photos. I want an article. Tell me why this fire is happening. Pine beetles? Yes, well so much for investigative reporting, but if you just search for "pine beetles alberta" you will see photos that show the area that is burning was attacked about 10 years ago by pine beetle. welcome to global warming. wait a sec... Alberta? Fort McMurray!? I don't believe in karma, but I could change my mind. After all, the alberta tar sands project -- one of the most ecologically destructive projects on the planet is right there in Fort MucMurray. Amazing

milesf 10y ago
Or, one could argue it is the largest cleanup operation on the planet. It would also be correct to state that the greatest lifesaver in Fort Mac is... oil. Cars, trucks, planes, helicopters all being powered by oil to save lives. I for one am happy we are moving to electric vehicles, but we will face another set of problems dealing with lithium. We also would not be having this conversation if it were not the petrolium industry. My point is this is a human event, with real lives at stake (my brother being one of them, who managed to escape to Edmonton). Let's leave 'karma' out of this, and move forward to make our world better.
forgetsusername 10y ago
>welcome to global warming. Maybe people wouldn't doubt climate change if every single negative thing that happens in nature wasn't attributed to it. Massive burns aren't exactly a new phenomenon. >wait a sec... Alberta? Fort McMurray!? I don't believe in karma, but I could change my mind. Karma will get you too. Maybe post here when it does so we can say you deserved it.
- blondie9x 10y ago
  It's the overall aggregate trend that's concerning and in line with climatic models from 80s. We are seeing temperatures spike year over year, droughts intensify, floods worsen, storms strengthening, sea levels rising, and species extinction levels increasing.
worldvoyageur 10y ago
In 1971, more than half of Alberta’s boreal forest by area was classified as regenerating or young, and a third was “immature.” By 2011 more than 40 per cent had become “mature” and more than 20 per cent “overmature,” a category all but absent earlier. This change is because of aggressive fire suppression. Before these major wildfire suppression efforts, boreal forests historically burned on an average cycle ranging from 50 to 200 years as a result of lightning and human-caused wildfires. In 2011, an out of control wild fire burned the town of Slave Lake and four nearby communities. A prescient 2012 Alberta report on that disaster blamed rigorous wildfire suppression, stating: " due to reduced wildfire activity, forests of Alberta are aging, which ultimately changes ecosystems and is beginning to increase the risk of large and potentially costly catastrophic wildfires. " http://wildfire.alberta.ca/wildfire-prevention-enforcement/wildfire-reviews/documents/FlatTopComplex-WildfireReviewCommittee-A-May18-2012.pdf http://wildfire.alberta.ca/wildfire-prevention-enforcement/w... The report, while 95 pages, makes for compelling and moving reading, even without the context of the ongoing disaster near Fort McMurray.
jlos 10y ago
Do you drive, use electricity, refrigeration, or eat meat? Then climate change us just as much your responsibility as a polluter. The oil sands provide the energy you consume and is one of the most environmentally regulated sources of oil in the world. Alberta oil sands also includes incredibly strict employee safety standards regulations and is one of the few major sources of oil not supporting a despotic government. It's one thing to want to avoid climate change, but be honest in recognizing your complicity in the problem.

milesf 10y ago

Or, one could argue it is the largest cleanup operation on the planet. It would also be correct to state that the greatest lifesaver in Fort Mac is... oil. Cars, trucks, planes, helicopters all being powered by oil to save lives. I for one am happy we are moving to electric vehicles, but we will face another set of problems dealing with lithium. We also would not be having this conversation if it were not the petrolium industry. My point is this is a human event, with real lives at stake (my brother being one of them, who managed to escape to Edmonton). Let's leave 'karma' out of this, and move forward to make our world better.

forgetsusername 10y ago

>welcome to global warming. Maybe people wouldn't doubt climate change if every single negative thing that happens in nature wasn't attributed to it. Massive burns aren't exactly a new phenomenon. >wait a sec... Alberta? Fort McMurray!? I don't believe in karma, but I could change my mind. Karma will get you too. Maybe post here when it does so we can say you deserved it.

blondie9x 10y ago
It's the overall aggregate trend that's concerning and in line with climatic models from 80s. We are seeing temperatures spike year over year, droughts intensify, floods worsen, storms strengthening, sea levels rising, and species extinction levels increasing.

worldvoyageur 10y ago

In 1971, more than half of Alberta’s boreal forest by area was classified as regenerating or young, and a third was “immature.” By 2011 more than 40 per cent had become “mature” and more than 20 per cent “overmature,” a category all but absent earlier. This change is because of aggressive fire suppression. Before these major wildfire suppression efforts, boreal forests historically burned on an average cycle ranging from 50 to 200 years as a result of lightning and human-caused wildfires. In 2011, an out of control wild fire burned the town of Slave Lake and four nearby communities. A prescient 2012 Alberta report on that disaster blamed rigorous wildfire suppression, stating: " due to reduced wildfire activity, forests of Alberta are aging, which ultimately changes ecosystems and is beginning to increase the risk of large and potentially costly catastrophic wildfires. " http://wildfire.alberta.ca/wildfire-prevention-enforcement/wildfire-reviews/documents/FlatTopComplex-WildfireReviewCommittee-A-May18-2012.pdf http://wildfire.alberta.ca/wildfire-prevention-enforcement/w... The report, while 95 pages, makes for compelling and moving reading, even without the context of the ongoing disaster near Fort McMurray.

jlos 10y ago

Do you drive, use electricity, refrigeration, or eat meat? Then climate change us just as much your responsibility as a polluter. The oil sands provide the energy you consume and is one of the most environmentally regulated sources of oil in the world. Alberta oil sands also includes incredibly strict employee safety standards regulations and is one of the few major sources of oil not supporting a despotic government. It's one thing to want to avoid climate change, but be honest in recognizing your complicity in the problem.