• Edición impresa de Agosto 21, 2018.

By Zulma Prieto

The world is on fire.

We continue to hear about the fires in California, New Mexico, etc. We watch the despair of people who have lost everything.

According to reliable sources, on August 19, nationally, 110 large fires have burned over 1.9 million acres. Six new large fires were reported in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. Eight large fires were contained including the Ferguso Fire in California.

The Carr Fire near Redding, California, has already torched more than 207,000 acres, an area larger than New York City, since July 23. Flames have destroyed more than 1,000 homes in and around Redding, a town 200 miles north of San Francisco and home to 90,000 residents. Carr is now the eighth most destructive fire in state history.

But also wildfires have ignited inside the Arctic Circle. In Sweden, Latvia, and Greece, wildfires are spreading amid a brutal heat wave. It’s so hot even parts of the Arctic are on fire. In Sweden the worst fires the country has seen in decades are now burning. More than 50 fires have ignited across the country, forcing evacuations. Finland and Norway are also fighting flames.

Greece has declared a state of emergency as raging forest fires have killed at least 81 people and injured more than 190. Parts of Italy are also on fire. Earlier this year, enormous fires scorched Siberia.

Also, let’s remember the fires in Hawaii caused by the volcano eruption. Wildfires have burned roughly 30,000 acres statewide in the past week, gobbling up the state’s limited resources for fire response efforts. Among the casualties: The flames scorched some endangered native plants in the Makua Keaau Forest Reserve.

As for the rest of the world, heat this summer has already proved deadly in countries including Japan, Pakistan, and Canada.

We may continue to blame others for the climate change, and we can continue to do nothing to change our personal way of living. We blame others for the pollution that contributes to heat build up in the world, and at the same time we go to any of the stores and get at least ten plastic shopping bags to bring home our purchases.

You can buy a reusable bag for 99 cents and take the trouble to bring it with you anytime you shop, in this way you would be doing your part. When buying shoes, t-shirts, or any thing to wear, maybe it is appropriate to think if it is really necessary. The oceans are filled with plastics like bags, and straws, and the landfills of many countries are filled with used clothing mostly from the USA.

This country imports plastic items from China, from house cabinets to spoons, and everything in between. Just because it is cheap and you can buy several, doesn’t mean it is wise to do so.

We are contributing to the build up of climate change. When you think of oil and the price of gas to fill your tank, that is one the smallest portions of the pollution that all the plastic has created. Especially in this country where everything is wrapped, packaged and boxed, the accumulation of such packages amounts to millions of pounds of non -biodegradable items.

It is easier to blame others and look the other way, forgetting that we are helping create our present and the future of other generations. That goes not only for daily habits, but also about the way we approach elections, voting, and participating in community activities. After all we can point fingers at everything that is wrong, without ever feeling guilty about our own behavior.

Maybe we cannot change the world, but if each one of us starts making changes, we will affect change.

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