What Is Wildfire Risk, and How Is It Changing?
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Probable Futures
What it is
- In this article from Probable Futures, students will learn about wildfire risk and how it is being impacted by changing weather and human activity.
- Students will learn how climate change increases wildfire risk, the factors that contribute to wildfire risk, and different aspects of life that are impacted by wildfires.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This article is well-organized and concise, allowing students to access the information without becoming overwhelmed.
- The website does a great job of linking to related articles that may be of interest to students.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with climate change and understand that carbon is captured by and stored in plant life.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After reading this article, teachers can make connections to risk management practices, especially those backed by traditional ecological knowledge, such as controlled burns. This video does a great job of connecting these practices to an idea mentioned in the article, misguided suppression techniques.
- Students can create guides for others that explain how to be prepared for wildfires and what to do to prevent them.
- Teachers can use this article as a hook for a lesson on the relationship between wildfires and climate change. Teachers can use this lesson or create their own.
- Students who are exploring the UN Sustainable Development Goals can analyze this article to determine which of the SDGs are impacted by increased wildfire risk.
From the scientist review
This resource presents a thoughtful introduction to wildfire risk. Key terms are clearly defined, and the text is clearly organized. The common objection that wildfires have always occurred is thoroughly addressed. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on probablefutures.org
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
