Intense Wildfires in Spain and Portugal This Summer Brought About by Global Warming Driven by Fossil Fuels
Europe Faces Worst Wildfire Season on Record as Climate Change Accelerates
Europe is currently grappling with its worst wildfire season on record, with over 1 million hectares (3,861 square miles) burned already this year, according to a new report by the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). The wildfires have resulted in at least eight fatalities and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.
The extreme fire weather is a direct consequence of climate change, as evidenced by the research on this summer's wildfires in Portugal and Spain. An international research group, organised under the project called World Weather Attribution, has found that global warming made the extreme hot and dry conditions preceding these fires 40 times more likely and 30 percent more intense than in pre-industrial climate conditions.
The EASAC report emphasises the need for the European Union to follow through on its emissions-reduction goals to combat the warming trend that is the root cause of rising fire risks. The report suggests that more investment in rural Europe could support small-scale farming, promoting diversity in forests and increasing their resilience to fire.
The proliferation of tree plantations and the abandonment of agricultural lands in some rural regions have been identified as key factors contributing to wildfire risks. The EASAC report calls for the European Union to implement its policies and laws on supporting biodiversity and restoring natural systems to help draw greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
The study also shows the current strain on firefighting resources in Europe. In mid-August, Spain made its first-ever request for international firefighting reinforcements. The researchers who studied the Iberian fires are confident that climate change is the most significant factor driving the extreme fire weather.
The areas of Eastern Europe, including eastern Germany, parts of Czechoslovakia, and Poland, have dense evergreen plantations that could pose wildfire risks under very dry conditions. Increasing wet and dry extremes also play a significant role in wildfire risks.
The EASAC report concludes that Europe will increasingly have to learn to live with fire and adapt society to a new challenging reality. More grazing, both in open fields and forests, could help reduce wildfire risks, according to the report. The health-damaging smoke from the fires has spread over France and as far as the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, highlighting the urgent need for action.
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