Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter |
South Korean government has decided to dispatch a Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to support the suppression of wildfires burning throughout Canada.
The decision came after the meeting of Public-Private Joint Council for Overseas Emergency Relief led by Park Jin, the minister of Foreign Affairs on June 29, at 11 a.m.
According to the ministry of foreign affairs, KDRT consists of 151 members will be dispatched including the Korea Forest Service, the National Fire Agency, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), as well as medical personnel deployed for about 30 days to provide support in suppressing wildfires in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Quebec, Canada.
Park, South Korean Foreign minister appreciated the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Korea and Canada and expressed hope that “this dispatch would serve as an opportunity for the bilateral relations between the two nations take a step further beyond cooperation in wildfire suppression.”
About 20 million acres have been burned over the past several weeks since the first fires blazes in Alberta.
Several hundred wildfires are continuing to burn across several Canadian provinces this weekend raging from as far west as British Columbia to the eastern province of Nova Scotia, Quebec, with an ongoing impact on air quality for vast swaths of the North American continents lead to higher rates of health conditions like asthma in the short-term, or cardiac arrests or angina as long-term effects.
According to NPR news about 1,500 international firefighters has arrived in several parts of the country to support Canadian teams working to suppress the blazes. Soon the Korean KDRT is going to cooperate in wildfire suppression in Canada.
South Korea and Canada are longtime friends celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year and share the values of liberal democracy and market economy.
KDRT marks the second dispatch of this year, following the one in response to the earthquake in Türkiye in February 2023.
“South Korean government will continue to make contributions to become a Global Pivotal State that contributes to freedom, peace and prosperity” said the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea.
◆ Wildfires and Climate Change:
Climate change is having a significant impact on wildfires around the world and across the U.S. Climate change has been a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires depends on a number of factors, including temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other potential fuel.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Climate change, including increased heat, extended drought, and a thirsty atmosphere, has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western United States during the last two decades. Wildfires require the alignment of a number of factors, including temperature, humidity, and the lack of moisture in fuels, such as trees, shrubs, grasses, and forest debris. All these factors have strong direct or indirect ties to climate variability and climate change.”
In 2020, the historic levels of wildfire spread and damage, five of the six largest fires is recorded in California and Oregon.
In 2019, wildfires caused an estimated $4.5 billion damages in California and Alaska.
In 2018, 2017 more than $40 billion damages occurred has broken records as the deadliest and most destructive season in California as well as throughout the West, including Montana, Oregon, and Washington state.
In 2000, 15 forest fires caused at least $1 billion in damages include the loss of homes and infrastructure, along with firefighting costs.
