Analysis: Climate change made the fires worse

 

TT

 

Published 05:30

 

The fires in southern Europe have forced at least a quarter of a million people to leave their homes. Archive photo. Photo: Emma Da Silva/AP/TT

Human-caused climate change has made the fires in France and Spain worse, according to a rapid analysis by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) research network.

The researchers analyzed historical weather observations to see how weather conditions that promote fires have changed over time based on a measure that takes into account hot, dry and windy conditions and how difficult it is to extinguish a fire once it has broken out.

Their rapid analysis shows that human-caused climate change has made the risk of fire-hazardous conditions at least twice as high in southwestern France and at least 20 times as high in central Spain. The researchers emphasize that these are conservative estimates.

They also note that, with today’s climate, fires of the same intensity can be expected to occur every twenty years in southwestern France and every six years in central Spain.

“Our studies show time and again how Europe’s climate is changing faster than governments can adapt. Last year we documented the fires in the Iberian Peninsula, more recently our research showed how climate change is worsening droughts across the continent. Now we are seeing another disaster driven by the same cause – the burning of fossil fuels,” says Friederike Otto, professor of climate change at Imperial College London, in a comment.