Overview
- The peer-reviewed analysis in Science Advances shows a rise from an average of about 22 high-risk days annually (1979–94) to more than 60 in 2023 and 2024 across 14 world regions.
- High-risk conditions are increasingly synchronous, linking North America, Europe, North Asia and the Middle East, with additional coupling between South America and Africa, while Australia largely behaves independently and parts of South Asia saw a decline.
- The authors warn that simultaneous extremes could overwhelm national firefighting resources and reduce the likelihood of international assistance when multiple regions face fires at the same time.
- Weather creates necessary conditions but large fires also depend on fuels and ignition sources, with humans frequently responsible through causes such as machinery sparks or discarded cigarettes.
- The study flags major health hazards from smoke that can travel thousands of kilometers, citing deaths linked to smoke during Australia’s 2019–20 bushfires.