Greenpeace Israel responds to the Carmel fire by stating that “climate changes are already here and taking a heavy toll.”
The fire in Israel’s Carmel region has eaten away at 5000 hectares of forest land and countless trees this week. It has been the worst fire to take place in Israel’s national history, and has destroyed nearly double the amount that 30 years of intermittent fires had previously effected in the Carmel region. By rough estimate, it will take at least 50 years to replant and regrow all of the trees that were lost and bring the Carmel Forest close to its former condition.
It has been, among other things, an environmental tragedy. Greenpeace Israel hoped to make that clear this week when it issued a public statement about the larger repercussions of the fire.
The organization stated that
“Greenpeace wishes to emphasize that this fire is a direct expression of the effects of climate change and global warming which threaten us all. Climate change is already here and it is taking a heavy human toll! We are at the beginning of the month of December and are experiencing summer temperatures and no rain. If there were rains this year, the ground and trees would have been wet and a fire of this sort would not have raged out of control in such a devastating way. Fires such as these can be expected to take place more frequently and in larger scales as a result of climate change.
Israel must take this warning sign seriously and take immediate measures in order to eradicate the effects of climate change. Israel must cancel its plans to construct another coal plant, reduce use of fossil fuels, and realize that we are dealing with an international struggle.”
Hila Krupsky, Director of the Energy Department at Greenpeace, said that “the current fire should light one big warning sign for us all. Even Prime Minister Netanyahu said yesterday that one of the greatest threats we are facing is global warming. The most sophisticated equipment and the largest army cannot help us with that struggle. We must understand that in this war, only correct use of energy and reduction of greenhouse gases will limit this scary phenomenon.”
Image via: Jerusalem Post
Read more about the fire in the Israeli Carmel Forest::
Israel Carmel Fire – Taking Stock of How it Happened
Initial Israel Fire Sparks Suspected Cases of Arson
Worst Fire in Israel’s Modern History Continues to Rage Out of Control
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
I live on a hill so I should be fine but ever since Al Gore bought his beach front mansion last year I figured I didn’t need to worry about sea levels any more.
You talk of previous climate changes but the thing about climate is it isn’t a static thing, it changes, thats what it does and always will do regardless of what we as humans do. Indeed to suggest that current human emmissions are on a par with volcanic activity in the past is quite something.
Current levels of atmospheric CO2 are 338 parts per million or about 0.0338% of the air that we breath. I find it hard to believe that such a tiny amount of gas could have such a massive effect on what is a hugely complex and chaotic natural system.
The fact is there is no evidence to link humans to global warming. However if you have some then please post it up and let me read it but be aware I’m alergic to weasle words such as ‘might’ ‘perhaps’ ‘could’ ‘maybe’ ‘suggests’…etc, you get the idea.
Okay, Gaylord 🙂 Good luck!
It has been verified that the fire and resultant 44 deaths and untold damage was caused by some hippie ecotard.
http://www.jpost.com/GreenIsrael/PEOPLEANDTHEENVIRONMENT/Article.aspx?id=195702
However you are right that there is nothing controversial about the unseasonably high temperatures and lack of rainfall. These are perfectly natural cyclic events that have been happening for all time and nothing to do with any trace gases released into the atmosphere by humans.
Gaylord – You are mixing up two fires. There was an earlier fire in the Golan (caused by an “ecotard”) and confirmed by someone who was there as such. The Carmel fire was caused by youth playing with fire. The article you are linking to on the JPost is sponsored content produced by the KKL. Jewish National Fund.
Stay ignorant at your own peril Gaylord.
All over the world in 2010 temperatures were higher than ever. These changes are not “natural” (previous climate changes were typically started by a lot of volcanic activity that sent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, creating the same kind of warming that our own carbon emissions are causing.)
And those climate changes resulted in mass extinctions. It’s cool if that doesn’t worry you. But if you were smart, you would start preparing yourself and your family for very real changes. For starters, if you live near a coastline that will be submerged when sea levels rise, it might be worth moving inland.
Just sayin’.
Please make constructive comments on the site, and refrain from making hateful comments.
Even if the initial spark was caused by accident (has this been verified?) the reason the fire continued to rage so uncontrollably is because of unseasonably high temperatures and lack of rainfall. I don’t see what is so controversial about that very obvious relationship.
You people are a bunch of lying brain dead lunatics, I hope that one day you grow a brain, you are full of bull$hit, drones to some evil activists, and you followers must have the IQ of an idiot to believe the rubbish that you preach.
You’re calling Green Prophet writers brain dead?
@Ed Moran
Yes, a scientist would probably put it this way:
“The Greenpeace hypothesis of Global Warming being the cause of the Israel Carmel Fire failed when the paper was peer-reviewed”
I expect Greenpeace to retract their statement
http://www.jpost.com/GreenIsrael/PEOPLEANDTHEENVIRONMENT/Article.aspx?id=195702
Oh Dear! How embarassing!
“The cause of this particular fire was, sadly enough, the good intentions of a participant in the Rainbow Festival that was being held at the site. For ecological reasons, she burned toilet paper she had used so as not to leave it in nature, and in normal circumstances, that would have been the thing to do. However, due to the strong winds and the unseasonable hot air, the dry grasses caught on fire immediately, and the fire spread in four different directions simultaneously.”
http://hauntingthelibrary.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/environmentalist-starts-israels-worst-ever-fire-greenpeace-blames-global-warming/