If A Tree Burns in the Forest...

So you may have heard about the tornado in North Dakota, maybe even the huge mudslide in Colorado or the wildfires in Arizona.  But how about the wildfire in...Alaska?  Yes--hot, dry Alaska.

Couldn't be much, though, if there's no news.  Here's most of the brief Reuter's report Tuesday:

The Funny River wildfire was burning on about 250 square miles (650 square km) of forest, most of it inside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in southern Alaska, said Willie Begay, the spokesman.

The week-old fire has expanded from about 172 square miles (446 square km) on Sunday, when it was one-fifth contained. 

Almost 600 firefighters are battling the blaze among rolling hills mostly covered with black spruce, Begay said. The area has been without rain for more than a month, and steady winds from the southwest are fueling the flames.

So why isn't it big on the news?  Because it's in a wildlife refuge where there are only animals and trees.  Because few houses--let alone expensive houses-- have been threatened (though this story notes that over 1000 buildings have been evacuated.)

Like trees don't count.  In quantity however, in a heavily forested region, those are carbon breathers we're counting on to slow down global heating.  So not only is this bad news for what it indicates about the extent of climate crisis now (this is wildfire in Alaska), it's bad news for global heating in the near future.

Another thing you probably haven't heard about (unless you live there) is the persistent flooding in southeastern Florida, in Miami, being caused by sea level rise right now. But there it is flooding homes, and so local government and local politicians are paying attention, as this Bloomberg piece notes.

So the climate on the climate crisis may be changing in Florida, but as the climate changes in Alaska, not so much.  Because when a tree burns in the forest and there is no distraught homeowner to photograph for the front page or Youtube, it doesn't make a sound.