Impact of the Forest Fire on the
Global Environment
Forest fires controlled or
uncontrolled have profound
impacts on the physical
environment including:
landcover, landuse,
biodiversity, climate change
and forest ecosystem. They also
have enormous implication on
human health and on the
socio-economic system of
affected countries. Economic
cost is hard to quantify but an
estimate by the economy and
environment can be provided.
The fire incidence problem for
South East Asia put the cost
of damages stemming from
the Southeast Asian fires (all
causes) at more than $4
billion. Health impacts are
often serious. As per one
estimate 20 million people are
in danger of respiratory
problems from fire in
Southeast Asia.
Most pronounced consequence of forest fires causes their potential effects
on climate change. Only in the past decade researchers have realized the
important contribution of biomass burning to the global budgets of many
radiatively and chemically active gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
methane, nitric oxide, tropospheric ozone, methyl chloride and elemental carbon
particulate. Biomass burning is recognized as a significant global source of
emission contributing as much as 40% of gross Carbon dioxide and 30% of
tropospheric ozone (Andreae, 1991).
Most of the world burnt biomass matter is from savannas, and because
2/3rd of the earth savannas are in Africa, that continent is now recognized as