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The newly released State of Wildfires report for this year sheds a concerning light on the severe impact of wildfires both domestically and internationally.
Dr. Hamish Clarke, an Australian co-author from the University of Melbourne, shared, “Our research indicates that wildfires have devastated an area of 3.7 million square kilometers globally—surpassing the size of India.”
He added, “We are observing the dramatic influence of climate change manifesting worldwide on a massive scale.”
“A warming climate is not only fostering more hazardous fire-weather conditions, but it is also altering the growth patterns and drying out vegetation, which then acts as fuel for these fires,” Dr. Clarke explained.
According to the report, wildfires have impacted 100 million individuals during the study period, resulting in 200 fatalities and threatening $215 billion (approximately $330 billion) worth of homes and infrastructure.
Researchers also concluded that human-caused climate change had made the massive Los Angeles fires 25 times larger than they would have otherwise been, and ravaging blazes in South America’s Pantanal-Chiquitano region 35 times bigger.
The impacts also extended to Australia.
“This included over 1000 large fires that burnt around 470,000 hectares in Western Australia, over 5 million hectares burnt in central Australia and major fires around Mount Isa with substantial smoke impacts,” Australian co-lead author Dr Sarah Harris, from Victoria’s Country Fire Authority, said.
“Here in Victoria, the Grampians National Park saw two-thirds of its park area burned, and the Little Desert fire burned 90,000 hectares in under eight hours.”
While the report warned that future bushfires are likely to get even worse due to the warming planet, the authors also said it was possible to take action to avoid the worst outcomes.
“While the future looks challenging, the report emphasises that it’s not too late to act,” Clarke said.
“Firstly, we need to take much stronger and faster climate action, including cutting fossil fuel emissions and reducing deforestation and land clearing.
“Beyond that, there are many things we can do to prepare for and respond to fire risk, from vegetation management to householder preparation and supporting short and long-term disaster recovery.
“As Australia approaches yet another fire season, this global perspective serves as a stark reminder of the interconnected nature of our climate crisis and the urgent need for coordinated global action, bold commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions rapidly this decade.”