FILE PHOTO: A long exposure image shows the Eagle Bluffs Wildfire, which crossed the border from the U.S. state of Washington, and prompted evacuation orders in Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Jesse Winter/File Photo
Scientists have discovered that the climatic conditions that caused the wave of severe bushfires in Canada this year, which led to parts of the United States and Canada covered with toxic smoke, have more than doubled in intensity due to the human-caused climate crisis, which means that the bushfires that Canada will witness in the near future will be the worst in its history, and some have even described what is happening in Canada’s forests as hell on Earth.
Canada’s largest and most destructive fire season
Canada’s 2023 bushfire season was the largest and most devastating on record, with nearly 14 million hectares (34 million acres) burned, an area larger than Greece.
The scale of these fires, which exceeded twice the size of the previous record, killed more than a dozen people and evacuated thousands, sent a plume of smoke that reached Norway, and turned the sky of New York last June into an orange color.
'Climate Change' Caught on Camera 👀#Lahaina #fire #Maui #MauiFire #hawaiifires #Hawaii #Kelowna #Kelownafire #wildfire #canada #Yellowknife #WestKelowna #ClimateChange pic.twitter.com/8t5BEDFskQ
— HumanDilemma (@HumanDilemma_) August 21, 2023
Scientists about the circumstances that caused the fires that broke out in the Canadian province of Quebec between May and July found that the climate crisis, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, made it at least twice as likely as the fires sparked by rising temperatures became at least 20 percent more intense.
The attribution study by a coalition of scientists in Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands found that although the weather conditions prone to fires were unprecedented, they are no longer unpredictable and will become more common as the world continues to warm, meaning Canada will face the worst of bushfires over the next few years.
The scientists said that what happened in Canada this year is unprecedented, due to the severity of the fires, as Canada could turn into a hell on Earth where the flames quickly turn into a frightening and uncontrollable thing.
APOCALYPTIC SCENES – Canada Wildfires 👀#Kelowna #Kelownafire #wildfire #canada #Yellowknife #WestKelowna #fire pic.twitter.com/stL4B4fOWf
— HumanDilemma (@HumanDilemma_) August 21, 2023
The new study looked at the Fire Weather Index, a measure that measures the risk of wildfires through a combination of temperature, wind speed, humidity and precipitation, and found that their peak in Quebec was from May to July, when there were a large number of fires, and the chances of their occurrence were doubled due to the climate crisis.
Video of wildfires in Canada
How is the climate crisis doubling the outbreak of wildfires in Canada?
A recent study showed that burning fossil fuels increases the likelihood of fires at least twice, and the weather-prone to fires is at least 20% more intense.
Scientists have discovered that the conditions that caused Canada’s severe bushfires this year, which covered parts of the United States and Canada with toxic smoke, were at least twice as likely due to the human-induced climate crisis.
Canada’s 2023 wildfire season was the largest and most devastating on record, with nearly 14 million hectares (34 million acres) burned, an area larger than Greece.
The scale of the fires, more than double the previous record, killed more than a dozen people and evacuated thousands, sent a plume of smoke that arrived in Norway and turned the skies for some time in June over orange New York City.
Wildfires in Canada
Jan Bolanger, a research scientist at Natural Resources Canada and part of the World Weather Attribution study team, said: “The word ‘unprecedented’ does not do justice to the intensity of the bushfires in Canada this year.
“From a scientific perspective, doubling the previous record for burned areas is shocking, as climate change dramatically increases the flammability of available fuels for wildfires – meaning that a single spark, regardless of its source, can quickly turn into a burning hell.”
The new study looked at the Fire Weather Index, a measure that measures the risk of wildfires through a combination of temperature, wind speed, humidity and precipitation, and found that its peak in Quebec was from May to July, when there were a large number of fires. The chances of it happening have been compounded by the climate crisis. Fires at this peak were also 20% more intense due to the climate crisis.
