Study shows extreme wildfires have doubled worldwide

Both the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires has more than doubled worldwide over the past two decades.

RESEARCH SHOWS ALARMING DATA

Wildfires have significant social, economic, and environmental impacts. Therefore, it is something that authorities should handle as extremely important.

A new study published on Monday 23 June 2024 showed that extreme wildfires are becoming more frequent and more intense. This is mainly due to human activity warming the planet. This was the first time that researchers have been able to plot a global trend for the most destructive types of fires responsible for major economic damage and loss to animal and human life, as reported by Phys.org.

The comprehensive study was published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The researchers in the study used satellite records. They studied nearly 3 000 wildfires of tremendous ‘radiative power’ between 2003 to 2023. The top 20 most extreme wildfires in each year had also more than doubled in their intensity.

The six most extreme years in terms of intensity and the frequency of wildfires have occurred since 2017. Over the period that the researchers studied, 2023 had the most extreme wildfire intensities.

“I expected to see some increase, but the rate of increase alarmed me.”

The study’s lead author Calum Cunningham from the University of Tasmania in Australia

Cunningham said that the impacts of climate change on the planet are no longer just something of the future and that we need better forest management at a local level. It is no longer something that can be ignored.

WILDFIRES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Wildfires occur regularly in South Africa and most often cause significant damage to people, buildings, animals, etc.

One of the worst wildfires in recent years were those which swept through parts of the Garden Route in the Southern Cape in June 2017, according to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). These devastating fires affected Knysna and its surrounds the most. The extreme wildfires destroyed more than 1 000 structures and 7 people lost their lives. Thousands of people had to evacuate from their homes. The fires affected a total of 1 533 families and 134 businesses directly and damaged or destroyed critical infrastructure, e.g. power lines.

The main reasons for recurring wildfires are that we have climates with dry seasons, natural vegetation that produces sufficient fuel, and people who light fires when they should not.

In January 2024, wildfires swept down from surrounding mountains and burned out of control in some small coastal towns near Cape Town. The fires gutted some homes and residents had to evacuate.