Study says wildfires will get worse unless nations rethink prevention strategy

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Wildfires that have recently torched Australia, Russia and the United States will become more common and will likely spread to unaffected areas by the end of the 21st century, experts said Wednesday in a United Nations-sanctioned report.

The study by the U.N. Environment Program and GRID-Arendal -- titled "Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires" -- concludes that climate change and land-use change are making wildfires worse, and its authors expect the changes will result in an increase worldwide of extreme wildfires.

The experts call for a "fire-ready formula" and a reallocation of funding -- half toward prevention efforts, about a third fighting fires and 20% for recovery. The report said that, presently, only 1% of funding goes toward fire prevention efforts.

"[We are] issuing an urgent call to governments to rethink their approach to extreme wildfires," the authors said in a statement. "By calling for a new 'fire-ready formula' and recognizing the important role of ecosystem restoration, we can minimize the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared and building back better in their aftermath."

The study says that wildfires around the world will increase by as much as 14% by 2039, 30% by 2050 and 50% by 2100.

Burned land and thick smoke is seen over Kangaroo Island, Australia, on January 9, 2020. Fires that burned in Australia that year had a substantial impact on wildlife. File Photo by NASA Earth Observatory via EPA-EFE

"Current government responses to wildfires are often putting money in the wrong place," UNEP Executive Director Inger Anderson said in a statement.

"We have to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities, and strengthen global commitment to fight climate change."

The experts say they expect that wildfires will continue to have a great impact on wildlife, noting that billions of domesticated and wild animals were affected by the Australian fires in 2020.

"Wildfires are made worse by climate change through increased drought, high air temperatures, low relative humidity, lightning, and strong winds resulting in hotter, drier, and longer fire seasons. At the same time, climate change is made worse by wildfires, mostly by ravaging sensitive and carbon-rich ecosystems like peatlands and rainforests."

Earlier this month, a study said that Southern California is expected to see substantial increases in wildfires in the middle of the 21st century. It added that there will be "striking increases in climatologically identifiable large fire days" and the trend will accelerate in the latter half of the century.