Our hotter world is leading to more wildfires.

I presume Tony Abdy is writing about my article on Wildfires, though he does not name me. (Star 7th Feb). He says the information comes from “echo chamber websites”. Evidence that wildfires are becoming more frequent and more ferocious is found in respected sources such as the European Space Agency, the World Resources Institute, the journal Science and Statistica. 

The European Space Agency say “Rising global temperatures and the increased frequency of extreme weather events has led to a surge in the number of wildfires rapidly consuming extensive areas of vegetation and forested lands. Countries like Greece and Italy have already experienced the devastating impact of large-scale blazes.”

Of course, there are other factors as well as Climate Change. It is foolish to build wooden houses in high-risk fire areas, just as it is foolish to build houses in high flood-risk areas in this country, but we still do it. People’s stupidity in accidentally or deliberately starting fires is also a big problem.

Fires are a part of the Earth’s natural cycles. Tony is correct that aggressive fire suppression policies over much of the 20th century have removed fire from ecosystems where it has been a fundamental part of the landscape rejuvenation cycle. In some regions, that has led to an excessive build-up of vegetation susceptible to burn, and then, given dry vegetation, hot temperatures and strong winds, those fires are larger, more severe and often unstoppable. But the hotter temperatures and strong winds are now more common due to climate change. 

Tony Abdy does not have to take all the blame because he is a driver, but our continued addiction to fossil fuels is undoubtedly leading to a hotter world where wildfires are more likely. January 2025 was the hottest on record, at 1.75C above pre-industrial levels.   

Yours sincerely 

Graham Wroe

References

World Resources Institute

https://www.wri.org/insights/global-trends-forest-fires

European Space Agency

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3/Counting_wildfires_across_the_globe

Statistica

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1260777/area-burned-by-wildfire-in-european-countries/

Science

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aab2356