Although many reports see wildfires around the world as a result of global warming, the data shows that even as temperatures have risen since 1900, the size of the land burned up around the world has steadily declined.
At the beginning of the 20th century, about 4.2% of the world's land was destroyed by wildfires every year. A century later, that percentage dropped to about 3 percent. According to satellite data as of Aug. 31, wildfires could occur on only 2.5 percent of the world's land in 2021. And by 2050 it could decline further.
A 2016 study in the journal Nature concluded that "contrary to popular belief, there is a growing focus on wildfires, primarily due to population growth in areas where wildfires are frequent, rather than due to increased burn-out areas." ”
As a result, preventing wildfires has little to do with strict and expensive climate policies, but with simpler, cheaper measures such as better forest management and building regulations.
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