The probability of wildfires will only increase as humans continue to burn fossil fuels.
, making the extremely high-risk conditions that led to widespread burning up to three times more likely than in a world without global warming, a team of researchers warned on Wednesday.in central and southern Chile was made around 200% more likely by human-made greenhouse gas emissions while the high-fire-risk conditions that fueled the blazesThat probability will only increase as humans continue to burn fossil fuels and blanket the planet with more heat-trapping gases, researchers added.
in mid-January killed 23 people, destroyed over 1,000 houses and other structures and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. All were In southern Argentina, the fires first ignited by lightning forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists and residents and burned through over 45,000 hectares of native forest, including vast swaths of theA cow sits on the charred ground of a forest after wildfires on the outskirts of Cholila, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Jonathan Escalona stands over his house damaged by wildfires in Lirquen, Chile, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. A car speeds along a road as smoke from wildfires turns the sky red near Cholila, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. FILE – Manuel Lagos pets his dog as the family home is engulfed by an encroaching wildfire in Lirquen, Chile, Jan. 18, 2026. A cow sits on the charred ground of a forest after wildfires on the outskirts of Cholila, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. , brings the first scientific assessment of global warming’s role in intensifying some of the most serious wildfire emergencies to grip Chile and Argentina in years. It’s the latest in an emerging subfield of climate science known as weather attribution, which is evolving rapidly in response to a growing thirst for public information about how climate change influences natural disasters. The World Weather Attribution report has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal, but it relies on“Overall, we’re confident in saying that the main driver of this increased fire risk is human-caused warming,” Clair Barnes, a research associate with World Weather Attribution, said in a briefing with reporters. “These trends are projected to continue in the future as long as we continue to burn fossil fuels.”Record droughts and scorching temperatures created conditions conducive to wildfires in Chile and Argentina, the study found, while single-species plantations of highly flammable trees like pines helped the fires spread more easily in both areas. The invasive species have replaced native, more fire-resistant ecosystems in the region, turning shrub, brush and grass into kindling. In Argentina’s Patagonia, the town of El Bolsón recorded its highest January temperature on record — 38.4 degrees Celsius . The town of Esquel, near Los Alerces National Park, logged 11 consecutive days of maximum temperatures in January, its second-longest heat wave in 65 years. Temperatures in Chile ahead of the fires were high but not record-breaking. The researchers estimated that seasonal rainfall from November to January, before the peak burning period, was around 25% weaker in Chile and 20% less intense in Argentine Patagonia than it would have been without a rise in global temperatures of at least 1.3 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. “This, together with higher-than-average temperatures, led to vegetation being submitted to stress, very low humidity in the soil,” said Juan Antonio Rivera, an Argentine researcher and author of the study. “Once the wildfires began … there was sufficient fuel to extend and be sustained over time.”US’s largest public utility says it now doesn’t want to close two coal-fired plantsTrump EPA set to repeal scientific finding that serves as basis for US climate change policylibertarian President Javier Milei may have hobbled the country’s ability to respond to the fires, researchers said, citing budget cuts to firefighting crews, a lack of planning and deregulation of tourism activities in Patagonia’s national parks. It’s a claim“Unfortunately, with a government that does not understand climate change and its connection to human activities, where nature is secondary in terms of priorities, these situations get worse and wildfires end up having greater impacts than they should,” said Rivera. “The situation is still not under control.”Hotel del Coronado boots Sandcastle Man from his yearslong spot on the beachChula Vista police chief alleging city trying to push her outHow does $18 million become $8.8 million?Padres are almost certain to add a veteran starting pitcher — at the right price
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