A chaparral ecosystem is a unique plant and animal community where shrubs grow. It could be largely found in California and Northern Mexico. It is composed of evergreen shrubs, bushes and small trees less than 2.5 meters tall. The chaparral ecosystem’s average rainfall is only 10-20 inches a year, which causes severe droughts. Wildfires occur frequently in late summer and early fall, when there are extreme droughts and high temperatures. Many people believe the smoke and heat from wildfires stimulates plants to reproduce and helps seeds to germinate. However, I still think wildfires are bad.
First, wildfires remove the plants animals eat and ruin the shelters where animals live. These animals which live in chaparral like birds, rodents and reptiles rely on plants and shrubs the wildfires remove. They would die when they can’t find food. When wildfires happen, they wreck the shrubs and plants, leaving the ground unsheltered. These animals would have to flee and find new homes to live in because their homes are destroyed by the fire.
Second, wildfires cause air pollution and greenhouse gasses. Air pollution can harm many people and animals. Debris, smoke and other toxic gasses can put many creatures in danger and even kill them. Additionally, water pollution led by wildfires can kill many fish. Fire is an important contributor of greenhouse gasses, like CO2. Greenhouse gasses on a global basis make the weather become warmer. The ice in South Pole and North Pole would start to melt because of the warm weather, which can lead to severe environmental damages.
Lastly, wildfires cost a lot of money. When people get injured by fires, they need to spend money to go to the hospital. If the house is burnt down, people have to pay for rebuilding it or buying a new one. The government needs to pay a fortune not only to put out fires, but also to reconstruct what the fire destroyed. In 2018 wildfires in the United States caused $22 billion in damage. These figures do not account for indirect damages, which experts estimate cost around $150 billion!
In my opinion, wildfires are bad for three reasons. Wildfires lead to animals dying or leaving their homes. The debris, ashes, and toxic smoke from the wildfire can severely degrade the air quality. Wildfires can make greenhouse gasses and cause environmental damages. These wildfires also lead to financial impact, people have to pay a lot of money to put out fires and rebuild what fires ruin. In daily life, we can prevent wildfires by always following the outdoor fire ban and taking care of our flammable things.
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