Originally published July 31, 2023 6:00 pm PDT
Arsonists are believed to be behind 60-80% of the fires.
QUICK FACTS:
- Italian farmer’s union Coldiretti believes at least 60% of the country’s wildfires are due to farming accidents or arsonists.
- Francesco Giardina of the Coldiretti said, “Spiteful or careless actions can result in serious, lasting hardship for the whole area,” explaining that it takes years for the land to recover after a devastating fire.
- According to the BBC, numerous historical sites have been charred, including a 13th-century church and century-old olive trees.
- The President of the Southern Italy region of Calabria, Roberto Occhiuto, said arsonists may have contributed up to 80% of the fires in the region.
- “Last year in Calabria we caught 22 arsonists and this year, too, we are finding several,” he said.
- Not all the fires have been intentionally set, however.
- “We have images, for example, of farmers clumsily starting fires in an attempt to clear weeds,” he explained, although he also admitted there have been “organized arson squads.”
LOCALS BLAME NEIGHBORS:
- Some residents in Calabria blame fellow shepherds and neighbors, arguing those individuals want to convert woodland areas into pastures.
- Others still hold that malicious arsonists want to stir disarray.
- Local resident Giada Nicolò said, “All these fires are started by people.”
- “Fires like these don’t start on their own. It’s arsonists, I’m absolutely convinced,” she added, noting that these individuals are “hurting people” and “putting lives at risk.”
BACKGROUND:
- Similarly, wildfires in Canada are not due to climate change, according to a report from Climate Realism.
- Leading analyst and commentator on environmental policy H. Sterling Burnett argued, “Neither the current wildfires in Canada, nor the heatwave in Texas, which has dissipated a bit—meaning temperatures are currently below the average for the date—can be attributed to long-term climate change.”
- “Globally, the total acreage burned by fires declined 24 percent between 1998 and 2015, according to a new paper published in Science,” the report noted.
- Burnett added, “The factors responsible for the severity of the 2023 wildfire season in Canada are short-term weather conditions, for instance a drought in some regions, less winter snowfall and warmer temperatures, and long-term poor forest management.”
