Climate change fuelling N.S. wildfires say ecologists, climate activists

Ecologists and climate change activists are urging officials to recognize the links between Nova Scotia's wildfires and climate change.

An out-of-control wildfire in Shelburne County is the largest on record in the province, and additional fires have started in the area. Another wildfire near Halifax has destroyed about 150 homes but is now 50 per cent contained.

Nicholas Carter, an ecologist and researcher working at the Plant Based Treaty, said in an interview with CBC that deforestation and animal agriculture are contributing to climate change and the province's wildfires. 

"The climate crisis is really amplifying the risk of fires from a number of different angles," he said. 

Other factors, Carter said, include the lack of precipitation and trees downed by post-tropical storm Fiona that haven't been cleaned up properly, creating highly flammable material. 

"This is part of an ongoing symptom of a warming climate and really creating these perfect scenarios for these fires to rage on uncontrollably like they're doing."

The measures the province is taking are important, he said, but more needs to be done.

"We need to stop this irresponsible behaviour around bonfires and throwing cigarette butts, but these are minor compared to what we can do on a bigger scale to prevent more of this happening in the future," he said. 

Some of the solutions, he said, include protecting areas of Nova Scotia from further deforestation.

"There are beautiful areas of the province that are not necessarily protected and have the risk of continued erosion from different industries," he said. 

He wants the province to conduct an economic analysis showing that the short-term economic gains of industries cutting down trees don't trump the long-term effects.

"These uncontrollable forest fires, a warming climate, these things will be far, far more expensive in the long run," he said. 

Lindsay Lee lives in Hammond's Plains and is one of about 20,000 people ordered to leave their homes across the province due to the fires. 

Lee is a climate activist as a member of Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association, the Ecology Action Centre and the Sierra Club Canada Foundation.

In an interview with CBC, she said she spent years trying to warn the province of the effects of climate change and is now directly facing the reality of it.

"It's tough," she said "It's something that I would much rather have been wrong about. When it comes down to it, nobody who's sounding the alarm on climate wants these things to be happening."

Lee said it's not too late for Nova Scotians to mitigate some damage done by climate change and people can take action by raising awareness.

"There are things that we can do at the community level, at the municipal level, provincial and federal. There are tons of solutions out there," she said.

"This is not a question of not having the tools, it's a question of not necessarily seeing the speed and implementation that we need."