REM: Extreme wildfires have doubled in two decades, due to climate crisis

A new study, in "Nature Ecology & Evolution", reveals that the frequency and intensity of severe wildfires worldwide have doubled over the last two decades due to climate change.

The analysis highlights significant fires like those in Australia in 2019 and 2020, unprecedented in their size and intensity.

Since 2017, the six most extreme fire years have occurred, indicating a clear trend exacerbated by climate change.

Lead researcher Calum Cunningham, from the University of Tasmania, noted that climate change amplifies fire weather globally, increasing both the frequency and extremity of wildfires in many regions. While earlier studies showed a decline in burned areas by wildfires since the turn of the century globally, this new research underscores a 2.2-fold rise in extreme wildfire events since 2003.