Greater investment needed in reducing wildfire risks: UN Report

Deadly wildfires noise pollution and other looming environmental threats could cause widespread ecological damage and need to be urgently addressed the UN Environment Programme UNEP said in a new reportThe Frontiers Report identifies and offers solutions to three environmental issues that merit attention and action from governments and the public at large said UNEP Executive Director Inger AndersenNoise Blazes and Mismatches Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern draws attention to emerging environmental concerns with the potential to wreak regional or global havoc if not addressed earlyThe report released late Thursday night India time days before the UN Environment Assembly UNEA resumes early in March spotlights growing public health threats that are disrupting natural life cycles and having profound ecological consequences worldwideUrban noise pollution wildfires and phenological shifts the three topics of this Frontiers Report are issues that highlight the urgent need to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change pollution and biodiversity loss said AndersenTerming noise pollution a raucous killer it said that unwanted prolonged and highlevel sounds from road traffic railways or leisure activities impair human health and wellbeingChronic annoyance and sleep disturbance caused by traffic can result in severe heart diseases and metabolic disorders with the very young and mostly affect the elderly and marginalised communities near busy roadsThe report encourages urban planners to prioritise noise reduction by investing in urban infrastructure that creates positive soundscapes such as tree belts green walls and more green spaces in cities also offering diverse health benefitsPhenology is the timing of recurring life cycle stages driven by environmental forces and how species interacting within an ecosystem respond to changing conditionsPlants and animals in terrestrial aquatic and marine ecosystems use temperature day length or rainfall as cues for when to bear fruit migrate or transform in other waysHowever climate change disrupts these natural rhythms as plants and animals are being pushed out of sync with their natural rhythms leading to mismatches such as when plants shift life cycle stages faster than herbivores the report saidMeanwhile local climatic cues that trigger migration for birds may no longer accurately predict conditions at their destination and resting sites along the route And in crops phenological shifts in seasonal variations challenge food productionThe report flags the crucial importance of conservation goals such as maintaining suitable habitats and ecological connectivity strengthening the integrity of biological diversity and coordinating international efforts along migratory routesThe report also outlined that between 2002 and 2016 an average of 423 million hectares of the land surface about the size of the European Union burned projecting that the dangerous wildfires will likely become more frequent intense and longer lasting including in areas previously unaffected by firesClimate change can prompt extreme wildfires generating lightning that can ignite other fires far beyond the fire front and creating a socalled hazardous feedback loopLongterm effects on human health extend beyond those fighting wildfires or the evacuated or those who have lost homes and exacerbate impacts among those with preexisting illness women children the elderly and the poorAt the same time black carbon and other pollutants generated from wildfires can contaminate water sources speed up glacier melt trigger landslides and turn rainforests into carbon sinks it saidThe report calls for greater investment in reducing wildfire risks developing prevention and response management approaches and refinancing remote sensing capabilitiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever