Taming the flame, from local to global extreme wildfires | Natural Hazards Research Australia

Taming the flame, from local to global extreme wildfires

This article looks at the societal and environmental impacts that have spurred Australia to rethink bushfire management and work toward innovative solutions.

Research theme

Learning from disasters

Publication type

Journal Article

Published date

10/2023

Author David Bowman , Jason Sharples
Abstract

The surge of extreme wildfires around the world, most recently in Canada, provides a frightening glimpse of the potential for intense fires driven by climate change to cause remarkable damage to human and environmental life. From 2019 to 2020, Australia experienced unprecedented wildfires (commonly referred to as bushfires), which increased the burned area by 800% relative to the 1988 to 2001 average (1). As well as causing dangerous “fire weather,” extreme heat combined with record low rainfall caused widespread dieback of vegetation, guaranteeing that wildland fuels burnt at maximal intensity (2). The societal and environmental impacts have spurred Australia to rethink wildfire management and work toward innovative solutions. This includes driving research into the effects of climate change on fire, optimizing approaches to prescribed burns, and leveraging Indigenous knowledge and expertise of Aboriginal communities. These approaches could prove vital not only for Australia but for managing extreme fires elsewhere in the world.

Year of Publication
2023
Journal
Science
Date Published
10/2023
DOI
DOI: 10.1126/science.adi8066
Locators Google Scholar | DOI

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