Firefighters worked on the wildfire in the Republic of Sakha, or Yakutia, Thursday. Photo courtesy of Russian Emergencies Ministry/EPA-EFE
July 20 (UPI) -- Climate change has caused the ongoing forest fires in the Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, in northeastern Siberia, the republic's chief told Yakutia 24 television Tuesday.
"Of course, there is only one reason -- global climate changes, they are taking place, we see that it is getting hotter every year in Yakutia," Aisen Nikolaev, head of Yakutia, said. "We are now living in the hottest, driest summer that has been in the history of meteorological observation in Yakutia since the end of the 19th century."
Siberia, which is Russia's largest and coldest region, has been under a state of emergency for nearly a month because of rapidly spreading wildfires amid the heat wave.
Last month, in particular, was recorded as the second-hottest June in Russia's history, the country's weather chief, Roman Vilfand, told reporters Tuesday.
Officials have also called this summer's weather in Yakutia the driest in the past 150 years, and the dry weather after five years of hot summers has created a tinderbox in surrounding forests, according to villagers, The Guardian reported.
Forest fires have burned through 3.7 million acres of land in northeast Siberia, releasing choking smog in the Yakutia region, according to The Guardian. And villagers have tried to squelch the fires for a month as they burn closer to Sakha's Oymyakonsky district, while sending children away from the choking smog.
"For a month already you can't see anything through the smoke," Varvara, age 63, from Teryut, a village in the Oymyakonsky district, said in The Guardian report. "We have already sent the small children away. And the fires are very close, just 2 km [1.2] miles from our village."
"Emergency workers and villagers are also fighting the fires but they can't put them out, they can't stop them," Varvara told The Guardian on a phone call. "Everything is on fire."
Smog over more than 50 settlements has at times halted Yakutia's main airport operations and river traffic, The Guardian added.
‘Climate change is happening’: As wildfires destroy hectares of Siberian forest, local politician points finger at global warming
21 Jul, 2021
“In June, we had less than 2mm of precipitation, while the norm is 37mm. This is 18 times less,” he continued.
Yakutia, known worldwide for its frigid temperatures, is located around 5,000 kilometers east of Moscow. It is the home of the world’s coldest permanently inhabited settlement, Oymyakon. The village, which has around 500 residents, regularly sees temperatures drop below -40C in winter.
However, in recent times, the region has become home to incredible heat and devastating wildfires. Known by some as ‘the lungs of Russia,’ Yakutia has 265.1 million hectares of land covered by trees. This summer alone, flames have destroyed 1.5 million hectares of forest. According to estimates from the weekend, the extent of the wildfire has now been reduced to around 18,420 hectares.
21 Jul, 2021
RT
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By Jonny Tickle
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By Jonny Tickle
The wildfires in Russia’s Yakutia region are caused by climate change, which has led to abnormally hot weather and ‘dry thunderstorms.’ That’s according to Aysen Nikolayev, the head of the vast republic located in eastern Siberia.
Speaking to the local TV Channel Yakutia-24, Nikolayev noted that the region’s average temperature in June was 20C – far higher than it should be. His statement comes as many Russian politicians, including President Vladimir Putin, have upped their rhetoric on fighting global warming in recent months.
“Global climate change is happening,” the head explained. “This year is the driest and hottest summer that Yakutia has had in the history of meteorological observations since the end of the 19th century. This is the data of the meteorological service, which can’t be refuted.”
Speaking to the local TV Channel Yakutia-24, Nikolayev noted that the region’s average temperature in June was 20C – far higher than it should be. His statement comes as many Russian politicians, including President Vladimir Putin, have upped their rhetoric on fighting global warming in recent months.
“Global climate change is happening,” the head explained. “This year is the driest and hottest summer that Yakutia has had in the history of meteorological observations since the end of the 19th century. This is the data of the meteorological service, which can’t be refuted.”
“In June, we had less than 2mm of precipitation, while the norm is 37mm. This is 18 times less,” he continued.
Yakutia, known worldwide for its frigid temperatures, is located around 5,000 kilometers east of Moscow. It is the home of the world’s coldest permanently inhabited settlement, Oymyakon. The village, which has around 500 residents, regularly sees temperatures drop below -40C in winter.
However, in recent times, the region has become home to incredible heat and devastating wildfires. Known by some as ‘the lungs of Russia,’ Yakutia has 265.1 million hectares of land covered by trees. This summer alone, flames have destroyed 1.5 million hectares of forest. According to estimates from the weekend, the extent of the wildfire has now been reduced to around 18,420 hectares.
Last year, a Yakutian town broke the record for the highest temperature ever recorded within the Arctic Circle, hitting a maximum of 38C. Verkhoyansk, in the far north, often dips to lows of -50C in winter.
Speaking last year to the Valdai Club think tank, Putin called for an end to “unrestrained and unlimited consumption,” noting that tensions regarding climate change had “reached a critical point.”
“It affects pipeline systems, residential districts built on permafrost, and so on,” Putin explained. “If as much as 25% of the near-surface layers of permafrost – which is about three or four meters – melts by 2100, we will feel the effect
Speaking last year to the Valdai Club think tank, Putin called for an end to “unrestrained and unlimited consumption,” noting that tensions regarding climate change had “reached a critical point.”
“It affects pipeline systems, residential districts built on permafrost, and so on,” Putin explained. “If as much as 25% of the near-surface layers of permafrost – which is about three or four meters – melts by 2100, we will feel the effect
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