"That's not to say that the 480 million have all died as a consequence of the fires because some things are going to be mobile — birds will fly away and come back," Dickman added.
"Some reptiles, like lizards, would perhaps go underground," he continued.
A common one these days is "X tons of CO₂", which means absolutely nothing to 99% of people.
If you want to inform, there are ways to put numbers in context. How many % of some relevant emissions are these tons of CO₂? 480 million animals out of how many total?
Ever seen a bird fly away from your location only to see the fire move faster than the bird?
> Some reptiles, like lizards, would perhaps go underground
How long's the ground on fire? What's the ambient temperature just half a meter below ground during a fire? How much oxygen is preserved and for how long? Those lizards are being cooked alive. Those that aren't will suffocate.
Fire can actually go down and spread underground.
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