Portugal is one of the countries most affected by extreme forest fires caused by climate change

Climate change is increasing the frequency and fire intensity most extreme forests in the world, according to a new study.

Analyzing 21 years of NASA satellite dataresearchers found that the frequency of severe fires more than doubled between 2003 and 2023. The intensity of these fires also multiplied by 2.3and the six most extreme years occurred starting in 2017.

In Europe, Portugal It is among the most affected countries in recent years, along with the Amazon, Australia, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Siberia and the western United States, according to the study published in the journal ‘Nature Ecology & Evolution’.

These forest fires “Energetically extreme” – measured by the energy released in a day – often destroy ecosystems, affect the health and livelihoods of local people and cause damage worth billions of euros. In addition, they emit large amounts of smoke and greenhouse gases, which in turn aggravate the global warmingone of the main causes of forest fires.

Wildfire risk increases in temperate coniferous forests

Researchers found that extreme wildfires were disproportionately concentrated in key habitats around the world.

Specifically, the frequency of extreme events has increased more than 11-fold in temperate coniferous forests, such as those in the western United States, in the last two decades. In boreal forests and taiga – in North America and Russia- have multiplied by more than seven.

The low humidity of the branches, leaves, grasses and other forest remains that fuel forest fires has caused an “exponential increase” in the surface burned in the last decades.

According to the study, this phenomenon is a consequence of human-caused climate change, and has caused more than half of the increase in the extent of forest fires in western US between 1979 and 2015.

Forest fires increase in Europe with the arrival of summer

Greece braces for long wildfire season after a heat unprecedented will cause the flames to start this month.

In mid-June, a fire closed traffic on one of the main highways in Athens and forced 70 firefighters and 13 planes and helicopters to keep it under control amid strong winds.

In May the country doubled its troops firemen’s in anticipation of a record season.

The EU has also redoubled its efforts to reduce the damage caused by forest fires in Europa following the devastating summer of 2023. A team of 556 firefighters from 12 countries will be strategically positioned in key locations, including high-risk areas such as France, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

Why are forest fires so dangerous?

In addition to their immediate threat to life, wildfires release fine particles (PM2.5) that can cause and aggravate long-lasting conditions such as lung and heart diseases.

This can lead to premature death, sometimes months after the fire. This week, the authorities de Hawai announced the death of a 68-year-old woman from injuries and health problems, almost a year after she was caught in the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century last August.

Climate change increases the temperatures and creates drier conditions, so fire season starts earlier and ends later.

At the same time, the fires They release gases into the atmosphere that warm the planet, creating a dangerous feedback loop.