GFSS scholar examines fire’s impact on humanity and reshaping the planet

Firefighters battling a blaze in a smoky field at night, with intense flames and thick smoke filling the air. A helicopter is visible in the background, silhouetted against the dark, smoke-filled sky, assisting in the firefighting efforts.

Stephen Pyne, Emeritus Professor of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, recently published an article in The Conversation titled Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning: Welcome to the Pyrocene, exploring humanity's complex relationship with fire and its role in reshaping the planet. Pyne describes how the extensive use of fire, from fossil fuels to wildfires, has created a "Pyrocene"—a fire-driven era akin to an ice age.

He highlights the interaction between natural wildfires and industrial combustion, both exacerbated by climate change, and discusses how human practices, from urban design to land management, have contributed to worsening fire conditions. Pyne argues that modern civilization’s reliance on fossil fuels has unbalanced ecological fire systems, leading to devastating wildfires and ecological disruption.

By framing fire as both a tool and a threat, Pyne calls for better integration of ecological fire practices, such as prescribed burns, to counter the increasing intensity of "bad fire." His work underscores the urgent need to address humanity's impact on Earth's fire ecology in this emerging epoch of the Pyrocene.

Melanie Osborne