When a California couple’s gender reveal party sparked a 22,000 acre wildfire in 2020 that killed a firefighter, courts legally charged the duo for igniting the flames. But locating the source for the increasingly worsening “global fire crisis” isn’t always this simple.
Two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker said climate change is only one piece of the puzzle when considering why the world keeps burning. In her latest documentary, “Bring Your Own Brigade,” Walker explores the complex roots of the worldwide wildfire problem, including legislation, the logging industry, forestry practices and infrastructure.
“It was really stunning to start to learn these other factors,” Walker told CBS News’ Vladimir Duthiers. “And that’s really good news actually because it means we can do something about it. There are several factors where we can really stop this fire problem.”
But residents and Walker note that the Camp Fire and others like it have complex origin stories.
“A lot of that land is actually under the management of a logging company and we look at that as a factor as well, and think about how we’re using the land and also how we’re building and where we’re building,” Walker said.
According to Global Forest Watch, the United States lost 15% of tree cover from 2001 to 2020. And forest losses are what the nonprofit organization, Climate Council, say are linked to global warming due to stored carbon being released into the atmosphere. Coupled with record-breaking droughts in certain areas, it makes for more active wildfire seasons than ever.
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