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Wilderness in the Age of Climate Change

2024/9/8
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The episode begins with a discussion about the increasing heat and wildfires, and how these events are impacting wilderness areas. It introduces the concept of wilderness and the challenges it faces due to climate change. The hosts raises questions about human intervention in wilderness areas.
  • Record high temperatures were recorded in several US cities.
  • Wildfires in the West are burning hotter and bigger due to fire suppression and climate change.
  • The episode explores the dilemma of human intervention in wilderness areas affected by climate change.

Shownotes Transcript

Wilderness is a designation of an area intended to be free from human intervention unless it's deemed absolutely necessary. But as climate change increases the frequency and severity of wildfires when does it become necessary for land stewards to intervene? In Sequoia National Park this question of whether or not to intervene has land managers and environmentalists at odds with one another. Host Ayesha Rascoe talks with reporter Marissa Ortega-Welch about her new podcast series How Wild. In a segment from the first episode Marissa asks: with increasing wildfires threatening giant sequoias, known as some of the world's oldest trees, should we intervene or leave the wilderness to evolve on its own?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)