Zap // NASA
News about forest fires may seem confusing. In a summer, there are walls of flames that put millions of people in danger. In the following, there are many fires, but few close to populations. This is called the “paradox of forest fires”.
The scourge of the fires has no end, and from year to year it seems to be getting worse and worse.
However, the planet has actually recorded less burning area In recent years – but there is each time More people on the way of the flames, concludes one recently published in the magazine Science.
Between 2002 and 2021, a decrease of 25% in the total burned area globally. But during the same period, the number of people directly exposed to forest fires, that is, with flames to reach the places where they live, increased about 40%.
This is the call “Paradox of forest fires”.
The study reveals that Africa represents an impressive 85 % of global exhibitions to forest fires, despite receiving minimum media care compared to Fires in Portugal, in southern Europe, Californiaor Australia, note o.
Five African countries – congo, southern Sudan, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola – registered about Half of all global exhibitionswhile the United States, Europe and combined Australia represented less than 2.5 %.
Mojtaba Sadeghresponsible for climate analysis and forest fires at Unu-Inweh, expressed surprise with “the disproportionate impacts of forest fires in humans in Africa ”, noting that although the continent has 65 % of the global burnt area, its share of 85 % of human exposure demonstrates a pronounced impact that requires greater attention.
As agricultural practices play a significant role in this standard, fragmenting large pastures in smaller fieldswhich limits the propagation of fire but simultaneously approaches villages and Thursdays of landscapes prone to the fire.
As climate change continue to intensify the conditions of fire worldwide. The extreme climate increased more than 54 % Since 1979, with times of fire to extend more and the nights remain hot and dry enough to support burning flames.
The study found that almost half of the world’s population now lives in urban-forest interfacean area that covers less than 5 % of the earth’s surface.
O population growth and migratory standards They explain approximately 25 % of all exhibitions, causing exposure density to almost double although burned areas decrease.
Regional variations tell different stories
Different regions face different challenges. In the Americas, invasive plant species Feed larger forest fires and more frequent. Europe, in turn, attempts to suppress fireworks while the continuous expansion of villages continues to increase risks. Africa records lower fireworks, but significantly higher human exposure rates.
According to the study, conducted by researchers at Boise State University and the University of California, USA, the most intense fires, which represent Only 0.01 % of all events, 2.7 million people exposed and burned 5 % of the total area of land studied.
Several regions, including western North America, southern Europe and southern Australia faced disproportionately larger human losses regarding their exposure levels.
Solutions require a comprehensive approach
Kaveh Madanidirector of UNU-INWEH, the UN agency for water, environment and health, warns that “forest fires They are no longer seasonal anomalies or regional; became a global crisisintensified by the increase of heat waves, worsement of droughts and drastic changes in land use ”.
“But instead of mobilizing to face this threat, some of the largest economies in the world are revoking the protectionsleaving regions and vulnerable communities supporting the heaviest burden of fires.
