How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s
10 months, 2 weeks ago

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s

LA Times  

At least 131 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely — and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes. Edward Mitchard, a forests expert at the University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences in Scotland, said climate change “makes the world hotter, which means that plants evaporate more water through them and soils get drier.” It takes only a few days of very dry, hot weather for leaves to feel crisp and dry, he said. “That’s fuel that burns very well,” he said, adding: “Drier soil means fires are hotter and last longer.” A Nature study showed that fire seasons are an average of 18.7% longer because of climate change. “We’ve had the most extreme drought ever recorded in the Amazon basin, and if you have droughts in the Amazon basin, you also get less rainfall in the south of South America.” In Chile’s case, some unusually heavy rains last year are thought to have increased the growth of brush that makes perfect kindling for fires.

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History of this topic

Fires in the West are becoming ever bigger, consuming. Why and what can be done?
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Fires in the West are becoming ever bigger, consuming. Why and what can be done?

Associated Press  

Decades of snuffing out fires at the first sign of smoke combined with climate change have laid the groundwork for a massive wildfire in northern California and scores of smaller ones across the western U.S. and Canada, experts say. Ten of California’s 20 largest fires occurred in the last five years, said Benjamin Hatchett, a fire meteorologist with the Cooperative …

Climate Change An Alarm For Destruction, Know what are the reasons for forest fires?
6 months ago

Climate Change An Alarm For Destruction, Know what are the reasons for forest fires?

ABP News  

Summer season is very difficult for humans as well as animals and forests. Since fire can help with underbrush removal, nitrogen cycling, and the growth of specific plant species, forest fires are a normal occurrence in many ecosystems. But there are a few reasons why forest fires may appear more common or "normal" in modern times: Climate Change: Drier conditions …

The End of El Niño Might Make the Weather Even More Extreme
6 months, 2 weeks ago

The End of El Niño Might Make the Weather Even More Extreme

Wired  

This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The driving forces behind these projections include the alternating Pacific Ocean climate patterns known as El Niño and La Niña, which can create huge shifts in temperature and precipitation across the North and South American continents. After almost a year of El Niño, La Niña is …

Chile risks repeat of deadly wildfires because of climate change, report says
10 months ago

Chile risks repeat of deadly wildfires because of climate change, report says

The Hindu  

Deadly wildfires like those that burned through central Chile and killed at least 133 people this month will become more likely in the South American country as climate change makes the world hotter and drier, according to a report released on Thursday. The report from World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists that studies the effects of climate change …

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile's
10 months, 2 weeks ago

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile's

The Hindu  

At least 123 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely — and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes. Edward Mitchard, a forests expert at the …

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s
10 months, 2 weeks ago

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile’s

Associated Press  

At least 123 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely — and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes. Edward Mitchard, a forests expert at the …

Opinion: No matter the weather, climate change means it’s always ‘fire season’
11 months, 1 week ago

Opinion: No matter the weather, climate change means it’s always ‘fire season’

LA Times  

In December, as rains were predicted in California, I performed the annual ritual of removing my go bag from its place in the living room and stashing it in a storage closet. In places at high risk for wildfire, the close of fire season brings a certain peace of mind to people like me who live with constant anxiety during …

Record-breaking wildfires blanket Brazil with smoke
1 year, 2 months ago

Record-breaking wildfires blanket Brazil with smoke

Salon  

A record-breaking number of wildfires are blanketing the Amazon with smoke, choking some Brazilian cities and further isolating many Indigenous villages. Water levels in the region’s major rivers have become so low as to be unnavigable, leaving many Indigenous river communities without any way to obtain certain foods, drinking water, or medicine, according to Reuters. “We’ve seen large fish kills, …

Climate change drives hotter, more frequent fire seasons in the Northern Territory
1 year, 3 months ago

Climate change drives hotter, more frequent fire seasons in the Northern Territory

ABC  

Bushfire experts say climate change is fuelling the massive bushfire sweeping across the Barkly region, which will become more frequent in the Northern Territory. Key points: Close to 80 per cent of the NT is expected to burn by March Experts say global warming is leading to greater fire risk School students are taking to the streets to call for …

Climate change boosts risk of explosive wildfire growth in California by 25%, study says
1 year, 3 months ago

Climate change boosts risk of explosive wildfire growth in California by 25%, study says

LA Times  

Sierra Cobras fire crew member Gustavo Cisneros keeps an eye on a hillside as flames roil the Sequoia National Forest during the 2021 Windy fire. “So it’s important to look at more direct on-the-ground solutions to the problem like fuel reduction.” Although previous studies have looked at the impact of climate change on broader metrics like annual area burned, as …

Explained | How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires in Europe
1 year, 4 months ago

Explained | How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires in Europe

The Hindu  

Europe is once again battling scorching temperatures this summer, with wildfires blazing across the continent from the Mediterranean to Spain. Every heatwave being experienced today has been hotter and more frequent due to climate change, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who co-leads the World Weather Attribution global research collaboration. Climate change drives wildfires Climate change …

How Global Warming Makes Hurricanes, Floods and Droughts Worse
1 year, 4 months ago

How Global Warming Makes Hurricanes, Floods and Droughts Worse

Bloomberg  

Scientists have predicted for decades that the burning of fossil fuels would push average temperatures ever higher and conjure dangerous extremes. Many heat waves, cyclones, floods, droughts and wildfires — including ones making headlines in 2023 — are now routinely tied to climate change. And heat, along with dryness and wind, fuels forest fires, which is why scientists have become …

When wildfires reach the stratosphere
1 year, 4 months ago

When wildfires reach the stratosphere

BBC  

How Canada's wildfires are warming the stratosphere Wildfires are on the rise due to climate change, but blazes could also be pushing up temperatures long after they are extinguished Extreme wildfires are increasing due to rising emissions, but they also disrupt the climate in return. The big thing we've already learnt is that wildfires can be important for several effects …

Are Greece wildfires caused by climate change?
1 year, 4 months ago

Are Greece wildfires caused by climate change?

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He said: “Fire risk increases rapidly when there are periods of prolonged hot weather, which allow the soil and …

Wildfire burn areas in California are growing ever larger due to greenhouse gas emissions
1 year, 6 months ago

Wildfire burn areas in California are growing ever larger due to greenhouse gas emissions

LA Times  

Although California may be enjoying a lull in this year’s wildfire season — courtesy of a wet winter and a cool spring — scientists say humanity’s relentless burning of fossil fuels has ensured that wildland fires will scorch ever larger portions of the state, perhaps as much as 52% more by midcentury. AghaKouchak said similar attribution studies — such as …

Did climate change cause Canada's wildfires?
1 year, 6 months ago

Did climate change cause Canada's wildfires?

BBC  

Did climate change cause Canada's wildfires? "We know that human-induced climate change is warming Canada at about twice the global average rate," says Nathan Gillett, a research scientist at the Canadian government's environment department. Getty Images Experts say that climate change intertwines with other important factors such as forest management as the "cause" of wildfires There has been a change …

How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires
2 years, 5 months ago

How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires

Al Jazeera  

The searing heat is part of a global pattern of rising temperatures, attributed by scientists to human activity. “Every heatwave that we are experiencing today has been made hotter and more frequent because of climate change,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who also co-leads the World Weather Attribution research collaboration. Fingerprints of climate change To …

Climate change is driving 2022 extreme heat and flooding
2 years, 5 months ago

Climate change is driving 2022 extreme heat and flooding

India Today  

Extreme weather events from scorching heatwaves to unusually heavy downpours have caused widespread upheaval across the globe this year, with thousands of people killed and millions more displaced. For heatwaves and extreme rainfall, "we find we have a much better understanding of how the intensity of these events is changing due to climate change," said study co-author Luke Harrington, a …

Climate change is driving 2022 extreme heat and flooding
2 years, 5 months ago

Climate change is driving 2022 extreme heat and flooding

The Hindu  

Extreme weather events — from scorching heatwaves to unusually heavy downpours — have caused widespread upheaval across the globe this year, with thousands of people killed and millions more displaced. For heatwaves and extreme rainfall, "we find we have a much better understanding of how the intensity of these events is changing due to climate change," said study co-author Luke …

Bushfires that burn more than a million hectares increasing due to climate change, CSIRO finds
3 years ago

Bushfires that burn more than a million hectares increasing due to climate change, CSIRO finds

ABC  

Climate change is increasing the frequency of megafires in Australia and putting entire ecosystems at risk, new research by the CSIRO has found. Key points: The frequency of megafires, in which over 1 million hectares of forests were burnt, increased suddenly after 2000 The worst fire seasons typically follow a La Niña weather phenomenon, which Australia is currently experiencing The …

Climate change is causing wildfires that are amplifying Covid
3 years, 3 months ago

Climate change is causing wildfires that are amplifying Covid

CNN  

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. “Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have been climbing precipitously in the Reno area over the past several weeks,” according to CNN’s report. “Coronavirus cases in Washoe County on Monday were up 24% compared to the week before, and hospitalizations increased by more than 18%.” A study published in the journal …

The Climate Change Link To More And Bigger Wildfires
3 years, 4 months ago

The Climate Change Link To More And Bigger Wildfires

NPR  

The Climate Change Link To More And Bigger Wildfires Enlarge this image toggle caption inciweb.nwcg.gov inciweb.nwcg.gov Across the country people have been experiencing hazy skies from big wildfires in Western states. Nick Mott, editor of the Montana Public Radio podcast, Fireline, sat down with NPR to talk about the role climate change is playing in the west's worsening fire seasons. …

US wildfires: How climate change is spurring deadly blazes
4 years, 3 months ago

US wildfires: How climate change is spurring deadly blazes

Al Jazeera  

Increasingly dry conditions in arid western US states are making wildfires bigger and tougher to contain, expert says. San Francisco, United States – As deadly wildfires continue to burn in the US, from the Pacific Northwest down to the California-Mexico border, LeRoy Westerling has a sombre projection for beleaguered residents and exhausted firefighters: “It’s going to get worse.” Westerling, a …

This is what a world looks like with just over 1 degree of global warming. The planet could get much hotter
4 years, 3 months ago

This is what a world looks like with just over 1 degree of global warming. The planet could get much hotter

CNN  

CNN — Entire towns have been burned to the ground. “By some measure, it’s clear that ‘dangerous climate change’ has already arrived,” Mann said in response to emailed questions from CNN. “It’s a matter of how bad we’re willing to let it get.” How climate change influences wildfires Though the scale of destruction is hard to fathom, climate scientists say …

Everything Is Unprecedented. Welcome To Your Hotter Earth
4 years, 3 months ago

Everything Is Unprecedented. Welcome To Your Hotter Earth

NPR  

Welcome To Your Hotter Earth Enlarge this image toggle caption Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images The upshot of climate change is that everyone alive is destined to experience unprecedented disasters. Enlarge this image toggle caption NOAA via AP NOAA via AP Hurricanes and climate change Climate change is making the air and water hotter, and …

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