Fire: Life in the new Pyrocene

Are we living in a new age of fire? What would that mean for people, plants and animals? 

 

Take a trip back in time to find out how our planet's history has been shaped by fire, and peer into the future as we ask how nature will adapt to a new era shaped by flame. Tori and Khalil search for answers from nature, science and activism.  

 

Along the way, we'll ask: 

-How did a fire in Australia set off smoke alarms in New Zealand? 

-How do forest fires affect global weather? 

-What can we learn from Indigenous people's use of fire? 

 

About this episode: 

 

As our planet heats, the risk of fire is increasing around the world and affecting lives thousands of miles away from the blaze. At the time of recording, fires burning in Canada were shrouding the East Coast of the U.S in smog. Presenters Tori and Khalil ask if this is the new normal, while contemplating our planet’s past relationship with fire. How can we make our voices heard while remembering what our ancestors knew about coexisting with fire? 

 

Contributors this episode: 

Dr Sandy Knapp - Botanist and merit researcher of plants at the Natural History Museum 

Professor David Bowman - Fire researcher, University of Tasmania 

Nerilie Abram - Paleoclimatologist from the Australian National University

Elizabeth Azzuz - Traditional fire practitioner from California 

 

Join the conversation on social media using #OurBrokenPlanet and tag us:

Instagram: @natural_history_museum 

Twitter: @NHM_London 

TikTok: @its_NHM 

 

Learn more about how you can take action for nature at nhm.ac.uk/podcast

 

Resources for this episode: 

 

How are climate change and biodiversity loss linked? https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-are-climate-change-and-biodiversity-loss-linked.html 

 

How do forest fires affect plants and animals? https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/august/experts-explain-the-effect-of-the-amazon-wildfires.html