Extreme Wildfires Increasing Globally Due to Climate Change and Human Activities, Studies Show

Research analyzing 21 years of satellite data reveals that the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires globally have more than doubled over the past two decades, with the six most extreme fire seasons occurring in the past seven years. The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, identifies climate change as a significant driver behind this trend, particularly in temperate conifer forests and boreal forests in regions like the western US, Canada, and Russia. While the overall area burned by wildfires has declined due to fewer fires in African grasslands and savannahs, the most extreme and destructive fires have increased dramatically. This phenomenon is exacerbated by human activities, such as fireworks and discarded cigarettes, which can easily ignite fires during hot, dry conditions. The rise in extreme wildfires poses severe risks to human life, property, wildlife, and contributes to a feedback loop of increasing global temperatures and fire occurrences.