Nearly half of the worldโs worst wildfire disasters have occurred in just the past decade, new research from UC Mercedโs Fire Resilience Center shows.
A study published Thursday in the journal Science reveals that 43 percent of catastrophic wildfire disasters struck in the past 10 years.
Researchers analyzing 44 years of disaster data found that economic disasters increased more than four times and fatal disasters causing 10 or more deaths tripled since 1980, with particularly sharp increases in recent years.
โThe rise in wildfire disasters isnโt just a perception, itโs reality,โ said co-author Professor Crystal Kolden, director of the Fire Resilience Center. โFor decades, wildfires primarily impacted largely unpopulated areas, but contemporary catastrophic fires are killing more people and destroying more homes and infrastructure.โ
“We’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how wildfires impact society,” said lead author Professor Calum Cunningham from the University of Tasmania’s Fire Centre.
