{"id":25092,"date":"2020-02-20T17:05:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T00:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futureearth.org\/?page_id=25092"},"modified":"2020-09-29T09:26:50","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T15:26:50","slug":"global-fires","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/futureearth.org\/publications\/issue-briefs-2\/global-fires\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Fires"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While the area burnt by wildfires has declined globally over the past decades, fire is now occurring more frequently and severely in ecosystems that have historically rarely experienced fire. This issue brief examines the cause and sustainability implications of global fires.<\/h1>\n

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In the News<\/h2>\n

Since September 2019, bushfires across Australia have burnt over 11 million hectares of land, killed 33 people, destroyed more than 2000 homes and displaced thousands of people<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span><\/a>. The full impact on wildlife is still to be determined.
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Why does this matter?<\/h2>\n

As some fires continue to burn in parts of Australia (see Box 1), many communities and ecosystems around the world are still recovering from an extreme wildfire season. For example, in 2019, wildfires raged across large areas of Canada, Siberia, the Mediterranean, and the Amazon (see Box 2), bringing into focus the devastating power and potential threat of fire across the world. Globally, the area burnt by wildfires has declined over the past decades<\/span>2<\/sup><\/span><\/a> by up to 25%<\/span>3<\/sup><\/span><\/a>. However, the regions experiencing fire are shifting<\/span>4<\/sup><\/span><\/a>. While fire can be important for maintaining ecosystems processes and vegetation in some ecosystems, e.g. savannahs and grasslands<\/span>5<\/sup><\/span><\/a>, it is now occurring more frequently in ecosystems that rarely experience large fires (e.g. tropical forests). An increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires<\/span>6<\/span><\/a>,<\/span>7<\/span><\/a>,<\/span>8<\/span><\/a><\/sup>, especially in ecosystems that are not adapted to fire, could lead to lasting changes in vegetation structure and composition <\/span>9<\/span><\/a>,<\/span>10<\/span><\/a><\/sup>, wildlife populations<\/span>11<\/span><\/a>,12<\/span><\/sup>, soil erosion13<\/sup><\/span><\/a> and the benefits humans derive from these landscapes<\/span>14<\/sup><\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Drivers of change<\/h2>\n

These changes in patterns of, and increasing susceptibility to, fires are attributed to two main and interacting factors: climate change-driven changes in extremes<\/strong>7<\/a>,15<\/a><\/sup>, widespread land use change<\/strong>16<\/a>,17<\/a>,3<\/a><\/sup>, including and especially increasing anthropogenic ignitions18<\/a>,19<\/a><\/sup>. When combined, these factors can create ideal conditions for rapidly spreading and intense fires that are difficult to extinguish. Such wildfires have become increasingly common in some parts of the world \u2013 California (2017, 2018), Canada (2014, 2017, 2018), the Mediterranean (2017, 2018), Siberia (2003, 2012, 2019), Australia (2009, 2013, 2019) \u2013 impacting the health of local economies, ecosystems, and people.<\/p>\n

For millennia, humans have used fire in landscapes to clear vegetation, improve grazing and hunting and manage nutrient cycles20<\/sup><\/a>. Today a combination of fire suppression policies, shifts towards permanent agricultural practices, and human settlement patterns are changing long-term trends in fire18<\/a><\/sup>. Savannahs, grasslands and dry forests which used to burn annually are burning less due to permanent crops and livestock that reduce fuel loads and fire suppression to protect valuable crops and properties. In contrast, tropical and boreal forests have seen a rise as people use fire to clear space for new agriculture. Where and when fires will occur will depend on future climatic and land use changes, with large differences and uncertainties across regions21<\/sup><\/a>, and therefore are not easy to accurately predict. However, globally, the pattern22<\/sup><\/a> and incidence7<\/sup><\/a> of wildfires is expected to continue to change with climate change, particularly in the northern hemisphere where the fire season could lengthen by 20 days by 21007<\/sup><\/a>. Additional insights on the impact of fire in a future warmer world can be gained by considering past climate changes, including periods when fire regimes were under more \u201cnatural conditions\u201d and human influence on fire regimes was less relevant.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Learn More<\/h3>\n

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Sylvia Wood<\/h4><\/div>\n

Partner, Future Earth<\/p><\/div>\n