The hot and dry weather that Enabled the Severe Wildfires in Spain and Portugal This Summer is about Forty Times More Frequent Due to Climate change than it used to be. The Dangerous Conditions Now Return Once Every Fifteen Years.
Before the Climate Change of the Past Century, Such A Heatwave would have occurred only Once Every Five Hundred Years, A Group of Scientists Writes in a Study for the World Weather Attribution Collaboration.
The Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula Faced “Fire promoting Weather”. That weather has Become 30 percent more intense than before humans started emitting greenhouse gases.
In Historical Weather Data, Scientists Find An “Extremely Strong Signal of Human-Caaused Climate Change,” Says Climatologist Friederike Otto. Accordance to her, the findings are in line with Earlier Research that made it clear that the Mediterranean Region is a hotspot of climate change.
Earlier This Summer, The Researchers also Conducted a Study Into The Recent Wildfires in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. That was a more extensive study, in which the scientists also used climate models to study the differentence between the current and former climate. The Conclusion was Similar: Wildfires Are Much More Frequent and Have Become More Intense Due to Climate Change.
Million Hectares Burned
A Record Area of Forest Has Gone Up in Flames in the Entire European Union This Year: Around 1 Million Hectares. Spain and Portugal Account for Two-Thirds of That Area. Both Countries Are Hit by Wildfires Every Summer, But this year The Damage is Much Greater Than Normal.
Europe is The Fastest-Warming Continent. Worldwide, the temperature has risen by more than 1.3 Degrees due to climate change, but here it is twice as much. Currently, the world is on track to more than Double the Temperature Increase in the years to 2100.
“Unfortunately, these fires are a sign of the times,” Says Researcher Clair Barnes of Imperial College in London. “With every fraction of a degree of Warming, Extreme, Long-Last Heat Waves Will Continue to Intensify. That Increases The Chance of Huge Wildfires Like the Ones That Have Hit Large Parts of the Iberian Peninsula.”
It not only mean that our emissions must be reduced rapidly, but also that vulnerable Countries must take measures to prevent Wildfires, The Scientists Say. For Example, by Using Controlled Fires to Reduce the Risk of Uncontrolled Fires. Or by Taking Measures to Reduce the Amount of Fuel, Such as litter or dry grass.