Prediction and Prevention of Wildfires
Wildfire causes are identified in two broader categories , Natural Causes and Human Errors . It is estimated that around 87 % 3 of wildfires are caused by human errors , the remaining caused by natural events ( mostly lightning and rare occurrences of volcano , meteor , coal-seam ). The most common human error causes for wildfires are listed below in no particular order or sequence / magnitude :
• Burning debris
• Unattended campfires
• Cigarettes
• Power lines
• Fireworks
• Sparks from equipment
• Arson
In this paper we focus on wildfire caused by power lines since it is mostly technical failure and there are factors which can be controlled to reduce the occurences of such events .
Figure 0-2 : Carbon emissions from wildfire , continental U . S . Source : World Resources Institute 4 .
Beside damages , wildfire impacts long-term and short-term sustainability goals such as air quality , wild-life habitat , flooding . It also reduces solar energy generation due to a thick cloud of smoke .
120 April 2023