Wildfire debate needs science, not politics

doi:10.1126/science.abf1326

GSTDTAP > 气候变化

DOI	10.1126/science.abf1326
	Wildfire debate needs science, not politics
	Alexandro B. Leverkus; Simon Thorn; David B. Lindenmayer; Juli G. Pausas
	2020-10-23
发表期刊	Science
出版年	2020
英文摘要	The causes of unprecedented wildfires and their impacts on all forested continents are increasingly the subject of discussion. Proper understanding and management of wildfires are crucial to safeguard human lives and to achieve the United Nations' target of “halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems worldwide” ([ 1 ][1]). However, the insights obtained from scientific research are largely off the public radar compared with the lighthearted, but often biased, opinions of politicians [e.g., ([ 2 ][2], [ 3 ][3])]. This is wrongly giving the public the impression that we understand little about wildfires and that intensifying wildfire regimes are a surprise. Decades of research, especially after major wildfires such as the 1988 Yellowstone fires ([ 4 ][4]) and 2009 southern Australian wildfires ([ 5 ][5], [ 6 ][6]), have created a vast body of knowledge that politicians are disregarding in favor of opinions. To address these increasingly destructive wildfires, the public debate and resulting policy response must be based on science. Historically, neglecting the role of fire in ecosystems and as a positive driver of biodiversity has produced policies that lead to more fire and ecosystem degradation. Widespread fire suppression has produced landscapes with high fuel loads that exacerbate future fires ([ 4 ][4]). Removing burnt trees in the name of restoration has impaired the recovery of ecosystem functions and biodiversity ([ 7 ][7]). Creating even-aged, monospecific conifer plantations for silviculture has increased fire spread and imperiled regeneration potential ([ 8 ][8]). There is considerable scientific consensus on the importance of fire for ecosystems, species evolution, and society ([ 9 ][9]), as well as on the feedbacks between human land use, changes in wildfire regimes, ecosystem responses, and impacts on human society ([ 4 ][4], [ 5 ][5], [ 10 ][10]). We have also learned that climate change interacts with wildfires in multiple ways, for instance by extending the fire season and increasing the frequency of dry years ([ 11 ][11]). Recent wildfires in Australia, California, and South America exemplify how protracted drought magnifies fire propagation and intensity, leads to fire spreading to nonflammable ecosystems, increases smoke that impairs human health, and undermines the capacity of ecosystems to recover ([ 10 ][10], [ 12 ][12]). Scientific research has promoted policies for a healthier coexistence with fire [e.g., ([ 4 ][4], [ 5 ][5], [ 10 ][10])], including the use of prescribed fire to simulate natural processes and the creation of heterogeneous landscapes in restoration programs to enhance regeneration in case of fire. Wildfires and droughts will likely transform landscapes and our relationships with them. Whereas research generates knowledge and helps identify new policies to deal with wildfires, recent public debates politicize their causes and consequences by blaming political opponents. These distracting arguments risk setting back the policy advances that have already been made. We advocate a stronger scientific platform to inform public debates about wildfires. Greater promotion of science can improve understanding and management of the ecosystems that face intensifying fire regimes globally. 1. [↵][13]1. J. Fischer et al ., Trends Ecol. Evol. doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.08.018 (2020). 2. [↵][14]1. P. Baker et al ., “As Trump again rejects science, Biden calls him a ‘climate arsonist,’” The New York Times (2020). 3. [↵][15]1. H. McKay , “Climate change or poor policy? As Australia's wildfires see some relief, blame game ascends,” Fox News (2020). 4. [↵][16]1. M. G. Turner et al ., Front. Ecol. Environ. 1, 351 (2003). [OpenUrl][17][CrossRef][18] 5. [↵][19]1. M. A. 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领域	气候变化 ; 资源环境
URL	查看原文
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/300273
专题	气候变化资源环境科学
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Alexandro B. Leverkus,Simon Thorn,David B. Lindenmayer,et al. Wildfire debate needs science, not politics[J]. Science,2020.
APA	Alexandro B. Leverkus,Simon Thorn,David B. Lindenmayer,&Juli G. Pausas.(2020).Wildfire debate needs science, not politics.Science.
MLA	Alexandro B. Leverkus,et al."Wildfire debate needs science, not politics".Science (2020).