Wildfires in Mexico may have been caused by human activity

The proliferation of forest fires in Mexico has undoubtedly had a negative impact on the environment. Now, Alfredo Ávila Galarza, a professor at the Engineering Faculty of the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí (UASLP), has claimed that the fires could have been caused by human mal-practice and land use changes.

It is estimated that 90% of forest fires are caused by human activities such as the accumulation of plastic and glass waste.

This situation affects climate regulation in metropolitan areas, reduces animal species’ habitats, and diminishes vegetative covers that are supposed to generate humidity. A lack of trees makes it more difficult for a forest to attract precipitations and clean the air.

Ávila Galarza claimed that some companies and institutions went as far as to start fires to change the land use of soil and facilitate their projects, though he trusted that that was not the case in San Luis Potosí.

The expert stated that it was possible that some animal species would move to nearby areas and cities looking for food, following the destruction of their habitat.

Mexico registers 30 wildfires in 5 states

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