Experts issue dire warning after 1,200% surge in destructive wildfires: 'I don't know how they are going to cope'
Spring wildfires in Wales are posing serious threats to vulnerable species, according to the BBC.
Grassfires in South Wales are up by 1,200% compared to the same time last year — 110 square miles of land across the U.K. has already suffered wildfires. A lengthy dry spell, high heat, and leftover fuel from last year have created ideal conditions for fire outbreaks.
Hen harriers, water voles, golden plovers, and bluebells are just some of the species put at risk due to this extreme habitat loss. Endangered barn owls are particularly challenged by reduced prey opportunities.
"A few weeks ago they had all of this area to find food for their chicks and suddenly they don't have that any more," said Rob Parry from the nonprofit Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC), per the BBC. "I don't know how they are going to cope. A wildfire just makes that habitat disappear overnight."
Wildfires have destroyed habitat for many species, putting them at risk. This includes the western gray squirrel, the southern steelhead trout, and the northern hairy-nosed wombat.
While biodiversity damage is front of mind, the wildfires also release phosphates that wash into waterways and diminish local water quality.
The INCC has called for increased controlled burn oversight, especially for farmers. Farmers are also becoming a part of the solution by restoring peat bogs, which prevent fires and sequester carbon.
The real tragedy of the issue is that many wildfires are started deliberately. This has spurred renewed education campaigns at Welsh schools by local firefighters.
"We see the death of local wildlife, we see the destruction of their habitat," said firefighter Mark Bowditch, per the BBC. "We accept that some fires can be accidental, but deliberate fire setting is a crime and that's the message we'd like to get out."
Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty?
Definitely
Only in some areas
No way
I'm not sure
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
I buy my children vapes to try to control their addiction
Emma is doing something she swore she would never do. In an attempt to have some control over her children's vaping habits, she's resorted to buying them the vapes herself. She's not proud of it, but says it feels like the only way to keep her two teenagers safe and reduce the high levels of nicotine they were consuming. "It went against every bone in my body to do that, but they're addicted," Emma says. "It's not a simple case of telling them to stop – it is so much harder than that." Emma believes her son, who she has asked the BBC not to name, began vaping in primary school. He managed to keep it from her for a while, but by the time he got to high school, his protests of "that vape's not mine" had started to wear thin. By the time Emma's son was 15, he was becoming breathless, contracted tonsillitis, and, at one point, was in so much pain, Emma called an ambulance. "The paramedics said the incessant vaping could be causing this," she says. "They told him to try and stop, or at the very least cut down." It was then Emma decided something had to change – she was going to take control and buy the vapes - trying to reduce their nicotine intake from 20mg to 10mg. "I warned them – if I see them with a device that has more nicotine in – then I'll stop buying them any, full stop." Emma says she felt she could then be confident the vapes would be from a reputable supplier, they wouldn't be illegal and contain other harmful products, and she could control the level of nicotine. Stop telling me to lower my cortisol - it's making me stressed! People say cola and fries are helping their migraines - but there's a twist 'WeightWatchers set me up to fail' - Why diet industry is losing to jabs like Ozempic Not only is it illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18, it is also illegal to buy them for anyone underage. Emma knows what she is doing isn't legal, but feels this was her only choice. She believes she has managed to reduce her son's nicotine intake, in part by buying the vapes, but also by having such an open conversation with him. But Emma says the disposable vape ban, which came into effect on 1 June, has had little impact on her children's nicotine consumption. It was introduced due to environmental concerns and to reduce the rising number of children and young people vaping. While vapes provide a far healthier alternative to cigarettes, there are concerns that vaping provides a gateway into nicotine addiction - with disposable vapes enticing children and young people with their fruity flavours and cheap prices. Health experts agree anyone who does not smoke should not start vaping, as it may cause long-term damage to the lungs, heart and brain. But weeks after the ban came into force, Kate Pike from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, says she fears it won't make any difference - and she says some rechargeable vapes, which are still legal to buy, are being marketed directly at children. "We are finding compliant products – vapes that are refillable and rechargeable – with packs of stickers in them," she says. "What adult is going to want to decorate their vape with stickers?" She also says it is very difficult to tell the difference between the now-illegal disposables and the legal refillable vapes. And due to some being fitted with pre-filled pods, they are still being used "like disposable vapes and discarded." At Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, home to the UK's first NHS vaping clinic for children, Professor Rachel Isba says parents should not be hard on themselves – they are fighting a battle against the might of a huge vaping industry. "The important thing is not to judge your child; the world our young people live in is a difficult place to grow up in," she says. "There are so many competing pressures." Her clinic supports 11-15-year-olds who have been referred by other NHS healthcare professionals. It has been open since January and already has a six-week waiting list. "The children that come to see me have to want to see me and understand why they are here," Prof Isba says. "It could be that they are noticing a change with their bodies – they struggle to play sport without being out of breath for instance, or they're coughing up blood, or they just know they're addicted and they want to stop or cut down." She says some young people are sleeping with vapes under their pillows so they can get a nicotine hit in the middle of the night, and their addiction can be so strong they experience "micro withdrawals" in school. "They are consuming nicotine so frequently that they begin to feel anxious if they don't have it – even for the length of a double maths lesson, for example." They then think they need the vape to reduce the anxiety, she explains, but it is nicotine withdrawal that is causing those feelings in the first place. Prof Isba offers nicotine replacement therapy – such as gums and patches – and talks to them about how vaping affects their lives. "We might discuss ways they might be able to cut down, what triggers them to vape and even how much money they might save simply by not vaping." She says the government's Tobacco and Vapes bill is a good step forward but would like to see more paediatric addiction services across the NHS. The problem is "far greater" than her clinic, she says, and she is concerned vaping could become a gateway drug into smoking and other dependences. Dan from Twickenham, a father of three boys, agrees. He says the conversation about youth vaping is redundant because, he says, that "horse has bolted". His 17-year-old got expelled from school in February because he was caught with cannabis in his vape, and his 14-year-old was close to losing his school place recently because of a similar issue. "Vaping is a gateway drug," Dan says. "They become addicted to nicotine and then harder stuff follows. "They've definitely smoked [cigarettes] and now my eldest is addicted to nicotine pouches. It's never ending." A government spokesperson told the BBC it was taking "tough action" to tackle youth vaping - including giving Trading Standards the power to issue £200 on-the-spot fines to anyone found selling tobacco or vapes to people underage. They also added that single-use vapes were a "blight on our streets" and that the government had made it compulsory for all vape retailers to provide recycling bins.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
I buy my children vapes to try to control their addiction
Emma is doing something she swore she would never do. In an attempt to have some control over her children's vaping habits, she's resorted to buying them the vapes herself. She's not proud of it, but says it feels like the only way to keep her two teenagers safe and reduce the high levels of nicotine they were consuming. "It went against every bone in my body to do that, but they're addicted," Emma says. "It's not a simple case of telling them to stop – it is so much harder than that." Emma believes her son, who she has asked the BBC not to name, began vaping in primary school. He managed to keep it from her for a while, but by the time he got to high school, his protests of "that vape's not mine" had started to wear thin. By the time Emma's son was 15, he was becoming breathless, contracted tonsillitis, and, at one point, was in so much pain, Emma called an ambulance. "The paramedics said the incessant vaping could be causing this," she says. "They told him to try and stop, or at the very least cut down." It was then Emma decided something had to change – she was going to take control and buy the vapes - trying to reduce their nicotine intake from 20mg to 10mg. "I warned them – if I see them with a device that has more nicotine in – then I'll stop buying them any, full stop." Emma says she felt she could then be confident the vapes would be from a reputable supplier, they wouldn't be illegal and contain other harmful products, and she could control the level of nicotine. Stop telling me to lower my cortisol - it's making me stressed! People say cola and fries are helping their migraines - but there's a twist 'WeightWatchers set me up to fail' - Why diet industry is losing to jabs like Ozempic Not only is it illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18, it is also illegal to buy them for anyone underage. Emma knows what she is doing isn't legal, but feels this was her only choice. She believes she has managed to reduce her son's nicotine intake, in part by buying the vapes, but also by having such an open conversation with him. But Emma says the disposable vape ban, which came into effect on 1 June, has had little impact on her children's nicotine consumption. It was introduced due to environmental concerns and to reduce the rising number of children and young people vaping. While vapes provide a far healthier alternative to cigarettes, there are concerns that vaping provides a gateway into nicotine addiction - with disposable vapes enticing children and young people with their fruity flavours and cheap prices. Health experts agree anyone who does not smoke should not start vaping, as it may cause long-term damage to the lungs, heart and brain. But weeks after the ban came into force, Kate Pike from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, says she fears it won't make any difference - and she says some rechargeable vapes, which are still legal to buy, are being marketed directly at children. "We are finding compliant products – vapes that are refillable and rechargeable – with packs of stickers in them," she says. "What adult is going to want to decorate their vape with stickers?" She also says it is very difficult to tell the difference between the now-illegal disposables and the legal refillable vapes. And due to some being fitted with pre-filled pods, they are still being used "like disposable vapes and discarded." At Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, home to the UK's first NHS vaping clinic for children, Professor Rachel Isba says parents should not be hard on themselves – they are fighting a battle against the might of a huge vaping industry. "The important thing is not to judge your child; the world our young people live in is a difficult place to grow up in," she says. "There are so many competing pressures." Her clinic supports 11-15-year-olds who have been referred by other NHS healthcare professionals. It has been open since January and already has a six-week waiting list. "The children that come to see me have to want to see me and understand why they are here," Prof Isba says. "It could be that they are noticing a change with their bodies – they struggle to play sport without being out of breath for instance, or they're coughing up blood, or they just know they're addicted and they want to stop or cut down." She says some young people are sleeping with vapes under their pillows so they can get a nicotine hit in the middle of the night, and their addiction can be so strong they experience "micro withdrawals" in school. "They are consuming nicotine so frequently that they begin to feel anxious if they don't have it – even for the length of a double maths lesson, for example." They then think they need the vape to reduce the anxiety, she explains, but it is nicotine withdrawal that is causing those feelings in the first place. Prof Isba offers nicotine replacement therapy – such as gums and patches – and talks to them about how vaping affects their lives. "We might discuss ways they might be able to cut down, what triggers them to vape and even how much money they might save simply by not vaping." She says the government's Tobacco and Vapes bill is a good step forward but would like to see more paediatric addiction services across the NHS. The problem is "far greater" than her clinic, she says, and she is concerned vaping could become a gateway drug into smoking and other dependences. Dan from Twickenham, a father of three boys, agrees. He says the conversation about youth vaping is redundant because, he says, that "horse has bolted". His 17-year-old got expelled from school in February because he was caught with cannabis in his vape, and his 14-year-old was close to losing his school place recently because of a similar issue. "Vaping is a gateway drug," Dan says. "They become addicted to nicotine and then harder stuff follows. "They've definitely smoked [cigarettes] and now my eldest is addicted to nicotine pouches. It's never ending." A government spokesperson told the BBC it was taking "tough action" to tackle youth vaping - including giving Trading Standards the power to issue £200 on-the-spot fines to anyone found selling tobacco or vapes to people underage. They also added that single-use vapes were a "blight on our streets" and that the government had made it compulsory for all vape retailers to provide recycling bins.
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
Mike Pence Writes Viral Letter To Jan. 6 Rioter
Pamela Hemphill, nicknamed "MAGA granny," was one of many January 6 rioters charged for participating in the infamous Capitol riot back in 2021. Earlier this year, Hemphill went viral for being the only January 6 rioter to "formally refuse and block" Donald Trump's presidential pardon, who offered pardons to every person charged or convicted for their actions on Jan. 6. "Accepting a pardon would only insult the Capitol police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation...I pleaded guilty because I was guilty, and accepting a pardon also would serve to contribute to their gaslighting and false narrative," Hemphill told the BBC in January. Well, recently, Trump's estranged former Vice President Mike Pence — who was threatened by rioters during January 6 — penned a letter to Hemphill commending her for her decision to reject Trump's pardon and accept legal consequences. Written on June 2, Mike Pence addressed the letter "Dear Pamela": He then went on to speak about his own actions on January 6... And expressed his deep respect for her decision. Some people online expressed their gratitude to Hemphill for her "growth and effort" in admitting her mistakes. While others praised Pence's words: "I probably disagree with most everything that Pence believes, but ok this, I wholeheartedly agree and share his admiration for your principled stance," another person wrote in response to the letter. "This is it right here. My respect for VP Pence continues to grow in the face of others who have compromised (and Pam is to be commended too!)," another person agreed. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
