1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,400 They seem like works of art...Child's Play. 2 00:00:09,420 --> 00:00:13,320 amorphous shapes lost in a sea of colors 3 00:00:13,340 --> 00:00:17,700 But there is nothing fun about them. These are images taken from space.....of this. 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,440 ...and this. Countless fires that 5 00:00:21,460 --> 00:00:25,460 scarred our earth this year. And with each, giant 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,450 smoke plumes of carbon monoxide, methane, and carbon dioxide 7 00:00:29,470 --> 00:00:33,460 carried up into the atmosphere, into the air we breathe. 8 00:00:37,490 --> 00:00:41,480 The total number of acres burned so far this year? 9 00:00:41,500 --> 00:00:45,490 Nearly two and a half million 10 00:00:45,510 --> 00:00:49,510 How will fire frequency changein a world where the climate is getting warmer? 11 00:00:49,530 --> 00:00:53,690 Where dry places will get even less rain? 12 00:00:53,710 --> 00:00:57,700 Climate projections show that the drying trend in the 13 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,710 United States will continue. There will be a greater risk 14 00:01:01,730 --> 00:01:05,720 of fire by the end of the 21st-century in places that aren't prone to 15 00:01:05,740 --> 00:01:09,760 burning now, like the Great Plains and Upper MidWest 16 00:01:09,780 --> 00:01:13,950 Areas like the Mountain West, burning frequently today will 17 00:01:13,970 --> 00:01:17,950 see an even greater number of fires. That means 18 00:01:17,970 --> 00:01:22,130 more homes at risk, more federal dollars spent on rebuilding, 19 00:01:22,150 --> 00:01:26,150 a greater risk to the nation's food supply. 20 00:01:26,170 --> 00:01:30,170 If we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, can we mitigate these 21 00:01:30,190 --> 00:01:34,180 risks? Under a low-carbon scenario, temperatures 22 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,180 rise by 4.5 degrees, but under a high carbon scenario 23 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,190 temperatures rise by 8 degrees 24 00:01:42,210 --> 00:01:46,280 Either way means more fires