Introduction
Wildfires are natural hazards that can actually benefit ecosystems, but they become disasters as they spread to places where people live and work. Air pollution, wildfires, and climate change are interconnected. Human activity releases greenhouse gases, fueling climate change which causes the earth’s temperature to rise and weather patterns to become more extreme. Drier and windier conditions lead to an increase in the likelihood of wildfires. More frequent wildfires are caused by climate change, and contribute to climate change by releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere. In addition to supporting the first responders and people affected by wildfires, more attention needs to be paid to mitigation.
A4SC Resources
The below resources include relevant videos and lesson plans from our content library that will help contextualize this current event within broader, more enduring, concepts.
Pollution: Trash that Trashes Your Health: Pollution is the introduction of something that causes harm to the natural environment. Air pollution impacts 90% of people worldwide, and causes an estimated 5.7 trillion dollars worth of health damage.
Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action: SDG 13 aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Targets include bolstering adaptability to climate-related hazards and natural disasters around the world, and improving education, awareness, and human and institutional ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Mitigation vs Adaptation: The Before and After of Climate Change Policy: Mitigation means reducing the severity of climate change by preventing or minimizing factors that cause it. Adaptation means reacting to the direct impacts of climate change by preparing for the changes it will bring. Mitigation is about stopping harmful activities and adaptation is about dealing with the consequences of those activities.
Discussion Questions
- What precautions can you take to protect yourself from air pollution?
- Do you think wildfires affect you even if you don’t live in an area with a lot of wildfires? Why or why not?
- How can the government better protect its citizens from wildfires and air pollution?
Activity
California’s Climate Crisis Committee has put the class in charge of designing a wildfire education program for families with young children. What is the most important info families need to prepare for wildfire season? Find a creative way to share this information with your audience.
Additional Resources
- Air Now. Fires and Your Health. https://www.airnow.gov/air-quality-and-health/fires-and-your-health/
- NOAA. The Impact of Wildfires on Climate and Air Quality. https://csl.noaa.gov/factsheets/csdWildfiresFIREX.pdf
- Clean Air Fund. Wildfires, climate change and air pollution: a vicious cycle. 2025. https://www.cleanairfund.org/news-item/wildfires-climate-change-and-air-pollution-a-vicious-cycle/
Keep Learning with A4SC
At A4SC, we empower students through interdisciplinary curricula to become informed, compassionate, and action-oriented leaders who are capable of addressing the pressing challenges of today and tomorrow. Keep exploring our library of 400+ videos.