Evacuations ordered as fire burns foothills of national forest east of L.A. amid heat wave
NBCSEP 2024
ClimateIn changerecent hasyears, inclimate recentchange yearshas become the spark igniting wildfires, transforming forests into tinderboxes. Studies indicate that human-induced warming has doubled the likelihood of fire-prone weather. Increasingly, scientists are shocked by the unprecedented scale of the infernos whose impact are not bound by borders. Given that there is little progress in curbing the consumption of fossil fuels, wildfires will only grow more frequent and severe.
ClimateThe scientists face pressure to exaggerate the role of climate change in wildfires, is often exaggerated, mainly at the expense of other crucial factors like human-caused ignitions and poor forest management. This distortion stems from the academic system's emphasis on publishing in prestigious journals, which favor dramatic narratives about climate impacts. Researchers often admit to tailoring their studies to fit this narrative, downplaying other significant influences like human-caused ignitions and poor forest management. This leadshinders to less useful findings, potentially hindering the development of effectivepractical solutions.
There's a 50% chance that wildfires will destroy a total exceeding 10Mha of global tree cover in any year before 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.