Wildfires are growing more frequent, destructive, and unpredictable, with the climate crisis fueling conditions for fires to burn nearly year-round. Rising temperatures and reduced rainfall dry out soil and vegetation, creating the perfect environment for flames to spread. As highlighted by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), this dangerous cycle is accelerating—but there are ways to intervene.
One of them is as simple as composting.
Why Soil Moisture Matters
One often overlooked contributor to wildfire risk is soil moisture. Dried-out soil, weakened by erosion, is more prone to releasing stored carbon and cannot retain water effectively. This creates a cycle of vulnerability, where parched land contributes to drought-like conditions that make it easier for fires to thrive. Composting directly addresses this issue by enriching soil with organic matter that improves its structure, water-holding capacity, and resistance to erosion.
When compost is added to soil, it acts like a sponge, helping the ground absorb rainfall and retain moisture for longer periods. Moist soil is more resilient—it’s less likely to crack and degrade, and it supports healthier vegetation that stabilizes the landscape. Together, these effects reduce the likelihood of fire-prone, brittle land, providing a natural defense against the conditions that fuel wildfires.
How Composting Helps the Climate
While composting’s immediate impact on soil moisture is vital, its broader role in climate action is just as important. Every time food scraps and organic waste end up in a landfill, they decompose without oxygen, releasing methane—a greenhouse gas that is up to 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Composting, on the other hand, diverts this waste and transforms it into a resource that actively benefits the planet.
Beyond methane reduction, composting contributes to carbon sequestration. Healthy soil enriched with compost draws carbon from the atmosphere and stores it safely underground, making composting a double-win for climate mitigation. By reducing emissions and enhancing soil’s carbon-storing capacity, composting offers a tangible way to slow the progression of climate change, which is the underlying force intensifying wildfire risk.
A Small Act with Big Impact
The enormity of climate-driven disasters can feel overwhelming, but even small, consistent actions like composting make a difference when embraced by communities. Composting turns waste into nourishment, improving the very soil that supports life and making landscapes more resilient to drought, heat, and erosion. It’s a reminder that solutions don’t always have to be complicated—sometimes, they start with a simple bucket of food scraps and the decision to put them to good use.
While composting alone won’t extinguish fires, it plays a crucial role in strengthening one of our planet’s most valuable defenses: healthy, moisture-rich soil. Together, we can combat the climate crisis one act of sustainability at a time.
For more on how wildfires and climate change are connected, visit C2ES.
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