Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - A recent study has revealed a paradox in\nglobal wildfires in 2025. Despite the total burned area globally\ndeclining to the second-lowest level since 2002, extreme fires caused\nmassive damage in countries including the United States, Canada, the UK,\nSpain, Portugal, and South Korea.<\/p>\n
According to The Guardian, the study recorded 335 million hectares\nburned in 2025, the second-lowest since 2002. This decline is largely\ndue to agricultural expansion in Africa fragmenting landscapes and\nhindering large savannah fires.<\/p>\n
However, major fires caused severe damage. In the US, the Palisades\nand Eaton fires in Los Angeles were among the most destructive in the\ncountry\u2019s history. The UK recorded its highest burned area after a\n\u2018major fire\u2019 in Scotland destroyed over 100,000 hectares.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, severe fires in Spain and Portugal consumed over 500,000\nhectares, while South Korea experienced its deadliest and largest\nwildfire season on record.<\/p>\n
The study also found that wildfires accounted for over 38% of total\ninsured losses from weather disasters in 2025.<\/p>\n
Matthew Jones, a climate scientist at the University of East Anglia\nand lead author of the study, told The Guardian: \u20182025 shows that even a\n\u2019quiet\u2019 global fire year can still be devastating.\u2019 He added: \u2018We are\nseeing a growing gap between the total burned area and the real-world\nimpact.\u2019<\/p>\n
Researchers explained that while global burned area is decreasing,\nclimate change is creating weather conditions that allow fires to spread\nmore easily, especially in areas where forests meet densely populated\nregions.<\/p>\n
In southern California and South Korea, dry vegetation and strong\nwinds accelerated fire spread into populated areas, causing significant\ncasualties and infrastructure damage. In the Mediterranean, heatwaves\nand extreme drought triggered large fires from Portugal to Turkey.<\/p>\n
David Garcia, an applied mathematician at the University of Alicante,\nsaid: \u2018These conditions don\u2019t cause fires, but when they do occur, we\nhave more flammable material due to dryness and wind conditions that fan\nthe flames.\u2019 He added: \u2018This makes large fires more likely.\u2019<\/p>\n
Garcia cited attribution studies showing that extreme weather\nconditions triggering the 2025 fires in Portugal and Spain were 39 times\nmore likely due to climate change. \u2018If we continue warming the planet,\nlarge-scale fires will keep increasing,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Despite global carbon emissions from wildfires dropping to the\nthird-lowest ever recorded, Canada experienced a surge in emissions from\nextreme wildfires for three consecutive years. Since 2023, North\nAmerican boreal forests have released nearly 4 billion tonnes of CO2,\nexceeding emissions from the previous 15 years.<\/p>\n
The impact of wildfires extends beyond flames; smoke also causes\nharm. A September study found toxic particles from Canada\u2019s 2023\nwildfires contributed to approximately 82,000 deaths from air pollution,\nwith smoke spreading to US cities, Europe, and Africa.<\/p>\n
Adri\u00e1n Regos, a landscape ecologist from Galicia\u2019s Biology Mission in\nSpain, said: \u20182025\u2019s experience shows that a few extreme fires can\ndominate ecological, social, and economic impacts in a single fire\nseason.\u2019 He added: \u2018The broader pattern highlighted by this study aligns\nwith what we see across southern Europe: while total burned area\nfluctuates yearly, climate change increases the likelihood of extreme\nweather triggering fires, and rural abandonment leading to fuel buildup\nmakes landscapes more vulnerable to fast-spreading blazes.\u2019 \u2018The\nchallenge is not just reducing fire numbers, but enhancing landscape and\ncommunity resilience to extreme events,\u2019 he concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/study-finds-global-wildfires-decline-but-become-more-deadly-1780318761", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }