Study: Climate Change Doubled Likelihood of Canadian Wildfires

A study released Thursday by the World Weather Attribution group links human-caused climate change to the conditions behind Canada's massive summer wildfires. According to the research, climate change doubled the likelihood of the weather conditions conducive to these fires occurring.

The researchers analyzed weather data, including temperature, lack of rain, and humidity, to identify the impact of climate change. They found that the weather conditions affecting fires in the Northwest Territories and northwestern Ontario, while unusual, were twice as likely due to climate change. Although lightning sparked the fires, the drier and hotter conditions exacerbated by climate change enabled their uncontrolled spread.

The study, conducted rapidly and not yet peer-reviewed, examined conditions linked to large wildfires. Researchers compared current conditions to a world without the 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since the Industrial Revolution. They report that the weather conditions preceding the Ontario fires now occur approximately every six years, whereas in a pre-industrial climate, such an event would have been rare, perhaps occurring once in a lifetime.

The findings have sparked debate regarding the fires' causes, with some scientists highlighting the United States' historical contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. While U.S. President Donald Trump has blamed Canada's forest management for exacerbating the fires, climate scientists point out that the U.S.'s significant carbon emissions have contributed to climate change, which in turn promotes extreme weather events and wildfires like those seen in Canada.