World News
Canada’s devastating wildfire season prompts calls for new approach on August 10, 2023 at 10:00 am
The wildfires that ravaged Canada this summer have some experts calling for a more aggressive approach to the blazes than the country’s historically reactive, case-by-case approach.
As of Tuesday, 1,160 fires are burning across the country. This year, nearly 30 million acres have burned across Canada, an area bigger than several individual U.S. states. The area burned — the fourth-most of any season on record — is too large to rely on colder weather and precipitation to do the bulk of the work in extinguishing the blazes.
The affected area has included regions more prone to large fires, such as British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Fires in eastern provinces such as Quebec, where blazes are less common, blanketed the eastern U.S. in haze earlier this summer. In those provinces, wildfire agencies that are equipped to fight fewer and smaller fires were largely unprepared for the circumstances.
“[T]he fires are burning hotter and spreading faster than they usually do. The image of a firefighter spraying water on a fire, or a water bomber dropping water right on the fire needs to be dispelled: under the current conditions, humans cannot get within 100s of meters of the fires: so no direct spraying can be done on most fires,” Chris Stockdale, a fire research scientist at the Northern Forestry Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, told The Hill in an email.
“Furthermore, you have to consider the whole perimeter of the fire as dangerous and capable of spreading,” Stockdale added.
The current wildfire situation “takes a level of waterbombing and human power that is literally impossible to address,” he said. “Even if most of an individual fire’s perimeter is fully extinguished, any parts that are not put out have the potential to flare up days or even weeks later under the right weather conditions.”
Historically, Canada’s approach to fires has been largely reactive and mostly concerned with immediate extinguishment of active fires, said Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, a researcher with McGill University’s Department of Bioresource Engineering.
“The limited understanding of fire ecology at that time necessitated the immediate suppression of fires to protect valuable timber resources,” Alizadeh told The Hill in an email.
More recently, however, the country has taken steps including increased specialization of fire agencies, improved communications systems and strategic use of water-bombing from the air, he said. The more fire-prone regions of the country have also shifted their thinking to a more preventive approach and a perspective that acknowledges the value of controlled burns, he said.
“This shifted the focus to early detection and prompt response, exemplified by the adoption of controlled burns to create firebreaks and reduce fuel accumulation. Simultaneously, a more balanced and enlightened perspective has shaped by a growing recognition of fire’s ecological role and its effect on biodiversity,” Alizadeh said. “This paradigm shift changed away from strict fire suppression and toward an inclusive approach to fire management.”
However, the sheer number and size of active fires, as well as their presence in areas less accustomed to dealing with the threat, has strained local resources and illustrated the limits of a case-by-case strategy.
“[W]e have many fires in many parts of the country drawing upon a limited number of resources, both within Canada and internationally,” Canadian Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said in June. Firefighters have been deployed to assist from the U.S., Australia, South Korea and Mexico.
While American forest management is typically handled at the federal level under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service, Canadian management operates on more of a provincial and territorial basis.
“Each province is responsible for maintaining its own resources and personnel for firefighting. Historically, most provinces employ full-time enough resources to deal with their average fire seasons,” Stockdale said.
Smoke billows from the Donnie Creek wildfire burning north of Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada, on July 2. Associated Press/Noah Berger
That province-level approach to management has meant officials must frequently make hard decisions about what to prioritize saving from the path of the fires, said John Gradek, a faculty lecturer and the coordinator of McGill University’s aviation management program.
“The question you have to ask yourself is: What is the vision of the government in protecting that resource? Is there enough money? Are there enough assets in place to protect that resource?” he told The Hill in an interview. “If the resource is not threatening established infrastructure … that resource is not going to be protected from fire to the extent that [government officials] would look at fire suppression.”
Particularly in Quebec and British Columbia, Gradek said, “the amount of fire suppression has been focused on those fires that are threatening human infrastructure. What’s happening is, at this point in our strategy, we’re not looking at all forest fires. We’re being very selective.”
In future wildfire seasons, he said, officials may find it more effective to find ways to take preventive action to minimize fires farther from human infrastructures as well, including the daunting task of potentially clearing underbrush from forest floors.
“The provincial governments who are responsible for minimizing the [fires] have decided the strategy will be focused on protecting infrastructure that’s supporting human settlement,” he said. “They’ve left all the remote fires … to burn themselves out, and that’s generating a lot of smoke and that’s generating discomfort across North America, because of that smoke.”
Other experts, however, argue the nature of the fires, and the land they’re burning, mean firefighters have limited options.
“[T]he area is too large and too remote and the fuels are too dry. In addition, there are many fires occurring simultaneously, which stretches resources (e.g., aircraft) and firefighting labor,” Robert Scheller, a professor of landscape ecology at North Carolina State University, told The Hill in an email. “Firefighting under these circumstances can really only protect property and people. They’ve managed to limit losses to people and property and so I’d argue they’ve been quite successful.
“There are a limited number of proactive approaches that are appropriate at large scales. Prescribed fires and forest thinning are the two most common approaches,” Scheller added. “However, neither of these is appropriate for the boreal forests of Canada. Prescribed burning is only appropriate for forests that are adapted to frequent fires, such as forests in [California]. Boreal forests are not adapted to frequent fires.”
The wildfires that ravaged Canada this summer have some experts calling for a more aggressive approach to the blazes than the country’s historically reactive, case-by-case approach. As of Tuesday, 1,160 fires are burning across the country. This year, nearly 30 million acres have burned across Canada, an area bigger than several individual U.S. states. The area burned…
What Happened at the United Nations
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, defending Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. As he spoke, more than 100 delegates from over 50 countries stood up and left the chamber—a rare and significant diplomatic walkout. Outside the UN, thousands of protesters gathered to voice opposition to Netanyahu’s policies and call for accountability, including some who labeled him a war criminal. The protest included activists from Palestinian and Jewish groups, along with international allies.
Why Did Delegates and Protesters Walk Out?
The walkouts and protests were a response to Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in widespread destruction and a significant humanitarian crisis. Many countries and individuals have accused Israel of excessive use of force, and some international prosecutors have suggested Netanyahu should face investigation by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, including claims that starvation was used as a weapon against civilians. At the same time, a record number of nations—over 150—recently recognized the State of Palestine, leaving the United States as the only permanent UN Security Council member not to join them.
International Reaction and Significance
The diplomatic walkouts and street protests demonstrate increasing global concern over the situation in Gaza and growing support for Palestinian statehood. Several world leaders, including Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, showed visible solidarity with protesters. Petro called for international intervention and, controversially, for US troops not to follow orders he viewed as supporting ongoing conflict. The US later revoked Petro’s visa over his role in the protests, which he argued was evidence of a declining respect for international law.
Why Is This News Important?
The Gaza conflict is one of the world’s most contentious and closely-watched issues. It has drawn strong feelings and differing opinions from governments, activists, and ordinary people worldwide. The United Nations, as an international organization focused on peace and human rights, is a key arena for these debates. The events surrounding Netanyahu’s speech show that many nations and voices are urging new action—from recognition of Palestinian rights to calls for sanctions against Israel—while discussion and disagreement over the best path forward continue.
This episode at the UN highlights how international diplomacy, public protests, and official policy are all intersecting in real time as the search for solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains urgent and unresolved.
A mysterious interstellar object speeding through our solar system has reignited debates about extraterrestrial technology — and whether Earth might currently be under quiet observation.
The object, known as 3I/ATLAS, is only the third confirmed interstellar visitor ever detected. Unlike ordinary comets, however, this cosmic traveler has baffled astronomers with its unusual brightness, strange trajectory, and lack of a visible cometary tail. While most scientists cautiously describe it as a natural body, one leading astrophysicist believes something much stranger is at play.
Harvard Scientist’s Bold Claim
Professor Avi Loeb of Harvard University, head of the Galileo Project, has suggested that 3I/ATLAS may in fact be a nuclear-powered alien spacecraft designed to test how humanity would respond to an interstellar visitor. He argues that its flight path is improbably precise, bringing it close to Mars, Venus, and Earth — a pattern highly unlikely to occur by chance.
Loeb also points out that telescope images show a glow inconsistent with ordinary dust behavior. Instead of trailing behind like a comet, the halo-like light appears to extend in unusual ways, sparking debate about whether the object could be emitting energy of its own.
Headed Toward Earth’s Neighborhood
3I/ATLAS is expected to make its closest approach in late 2025, passing near Mars before swinging by the inner solar system. Although Earth itself will be on the opposite side of the Sun when it comes closest, the alignment will still enable space-based observatories to capture sharper data.
Loeb has called on NASA and other agencies to use spacecraft already stationed near Mars or Jupiter — including the Juno mission — to take high-resolution photographs. He believes such efforts could reveal whether the interstellar object is truly natural, or the first technological probe humanity has ever encountered.
Should We Be Worried?
While most astronomers argue caution before jumping to alien conclusions, Loeb insists that scientific openness is key. “If it’s just a comet, we learn something new,” he said. “But if it’s a spacecraft, it would be the most important discovery in human history.”
For now, 3I/ATLAS remains a mysterious speck on astronomers’ charts, drifting closer with each passing day. Whether it proves to be a frozen remnant of another star system or something far more advanced, the interstellar visitor has already succeeded in one mission: reminding us how vast and unpredictable the universe really is.
Stark Warning from Anthropic CEO Highlights Rapid Job Displacement Risk
The looming threat of widespread unemployment due to AI automation has sparked intense debate among experts, business leaders, and policymakers. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic—the company behind the influential AI language model Claude—issued a stark warning that has sent shockwaves through corporate America:
“Up to half of all entry-level white collar jobs could disappear within the next one to five years, potentially pushing unemployment rates as high as 20% during this period.”
This dramatic forecast paints a picture of a rapid and unsettling transformation in the workforce, driven by AI technologies that can perform complex cognitive tasks.
Balancing Predictions: Worst-Case Scenarios vs. Moderate Impact
However, this forecast represents one end of a spectrum of expert predictions. While Amodei’s warning highlights the worst-case scenario driven by the swift adoption of AI agents capable of coding, analyzing data, drafting legal documents, and managing workflows around the clock, other analyses suggest a more moderate impact. For example, Goldman Sachs estimates that AI could temporarily displace about 6-7% of U.S. jobs, with unemployment rising by approximately half a percentage point during the adjustment period. Their research anticipates a more gradual transition with a mixture of job disruption and creation.
The Unprecedented Speed and Scope of AI-Driven Job Disruption
The truth likely lies somewhere in between. AI is advancing at unprecedented speed, and the scope of jobs affected spans far beyond blue-collar roles to white-collar positions that required college degrees and years of training. Entry-level roles such as customer service representatives, data entry clerks, junior analysts, and administrative assistants face the greatest near-term risk. Mid-level roles in accounting, marketing, law, and engineering could soon follow, with companies already laying off workers citing AI-driven efficiencies.
Preparing for an AI-Transformed Workforce: Adaptation Is Essential
Ultimately, the AI-driven job transformation is no longer a distant prospect but unfolding now. Whether unemployment spikes to 20% or stabilizes at lower levels depends on many factors, including business adoption rates, government policies, and the ability of workers to reskill. What is certain is that the workforce of tomorrow will look very different from today—and the time to prepare is right now.
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