The 2024 wildfire season in Europe has commenced earlier than usual and is expected to extend longer, reflecting the escalating impact of climate change on extreme wildfires globally.
A recent study analyzing 21 years of NASA satellite data reveals a stark increase in the frequency and intensity of the world’s most severe wildfires. Between 2003 and 2023, severe burns more than doubled in frequency, while their intensity increased 2.3-fold, with the most extreme years occurring predominantly from 2017 onwards.
Portugal stands out among the European countries most severely affected in recent years, alongside regions like the Amazon, Australia, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Siberia, and the western United States, according to findings published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
These ‘energetically extreme’ wildfires, characterized by the substantial energy released in a single day, devastate ecosystems, jeopardize local communities’ health and livelihoods, and result in billions of euros in damages. Additionally, they emit vast amounts of smoke and greenhouse gases, exacerbating global warming—a key factor contributing to wildfire escalation.
Particularly vulnerable are temperate conifer forests, such as those in the western US, where the frequency of extreme wildfires has increased over 11 times in the last two decades. Similar trends are observed in boreal forests and taiga regions of North America and Russia, where extreme wildfire events have risen over sevenfold.
The exponential growth in burned areas is primarily attributed to human-induced climate change, which, according to the study, drove more than half of the forest fire expansion in the western US from 1979 to 2015.
As Europe braces for an intensifying summer wildfire season, Greece has already faced early blazes due to unprecedented heat. A mid-June fire near Athens necessitated the deployment of 70 firefighters and 13 aircraft amid strong winds, highlighting the growing challenge.
In response to the escalating threat, the European Union has bolstered wildfire mitigation efforts following a devastating 2023 summer. A team of 556 firefighters from 12 countries is strategically positioned across high-risk areas in countries like France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain.
Beyond immediate threats to life and property, wildfires also release fine particulate matter (PM2.5), contributing to long-term health issues such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Tragically, the recent death of a 68-year-old woman in Hawaii, nearly a year after being affected by the deadliest US wildfire in over a century, underscores these lingering health impacts.
With climate change driving hotter and drier conditions, fire seasons are becoming more severe, exacerbating the release of planet-warming gases into the atmosphere and perpetuating a dangerous feedback loop.
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