Knowledge Tree
wildfire
Also known as: wildfire, wildfires
Facts (18)
Sources
Misleading U.S. Department of Energy climate report chooses bias ... science.feedback.org Aug 5, 2025 10 facts
claimThe annual area burned by wildfires is trending downwards because humans are converting natural vegetation into farmland.
measurementBetween 1972 and 2018, the annual area burned by wildfires in California increased at least fivefold on average.
claimLarge wildfires in the United States have negatively impacted air quality, reversing trends toward cleaner air observed since the 1980s, and have endangered forest ecosystems through high-severity burning.
claimWildfires are caused by the combination of hot, dry, and windy weather conditions and the availability of plant material to burn.
perspectiveA. Park Williams (Professor at UCLA) argues that the Department of Energy report obscures wildfire trends by aggregating data for the entire U.S. instead of focusing on the western contiguous U.S., where wildfire activity is rapidly increasing.
perspectiveDaniel Swain argues that concern regarding wildfires should focus on the rapid increase in wildfire sizes in the western United States despite suppression efforts, rather than comparisons to pre-suppression eras.
perspectiveThe U.S. Department of Energy report implies that human actions like forest management practices have impacted U.S. wildfire activity, while climate change has not.
claimClimate change increases the risk of hot and dry weather conditions that exacerbate wildfires.
claimA 2025 paper found that the increase in wildfires in Western North America is overwhelmingly caused by climate change.
measurementIn the western U.S., the annual area burned by wildfires has tripled over the past 40 years, driven by a 10-fold increase in annual forest-fire area and a doubling of area burned in non-forest regions.
Climate Shocks Are Redefining Energy Security energypolicy.columbia.edu Jul 15, 2025 2 facts
claimKate Guy observes that extreme weather events, such as heat waves, hurricanes, and wildfires, are occurring throughout the year and are increasing in frequency and intensity.
claimKate Guy observes that extreme weather events, including heat waves, hurricanes, and wildfires, are occurring with increasing frequency and severity throughout the year, rather than being limited to specific seasons.
How a major DOE report hides the whole truth on climate change politico.com Sep 27, 2025 1 fact
claimThe Environmental Protection Agency cited the Department of Energy report to support the assertion that hurricanes, floods, and wildfires have not worsened.
How Climate Change is Changing Animal Habits neefusa.org Oct 4, 2023 1 fact
claimWarmer temperatures and reduced precipitation in the western United States have increased the size of wildfires and worsened insect and disease outbreaks, resulting in a decrease in habitat for woodland mammals.
Dozens of scientists push back on 'fundamentally ... - ABC News abcnews.com Sep 3, 2025 1 fact
quoteDr. Gretchen Goldman, the president and CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists, stated: "Decades of rigorous scientific analysis shows burning fossil fuels is unequivocally contributing to deadly heat waves, accelerating sea level rise, worsening wildfires and floods, increased heavy rainfall, and more intense and damaging storms across the country. We should all relentlessly question who stands to gain from efforts to upend this unassailable and peer-reviewed scientific truth."
An integrated climate-biodiversity framework to improve planning ... ecologyandsociety.org 1 fact
referenceLandscape connectivity strategies are increasingly scrutinized for their potential as wildfire vectors, such as the planning for a major wildlife crossing structure for the Agora Canyon in Los Angeles, California, USA, as noted in Riley et al. (2018).
Comprehensive Overview on the Present State and Evolution of ... link.springer.com Aug 9, 2024 1 fact
claimPotential future impacts of global warming include more frequent wildfires, longer drought periods in some regions, and increases in wind intensity and precipitation from tropical cyclones.
Energy infrastructure vs climate change: increasing resilience ricardo.com Feb 20, 2025 1 fact
accountIn 2019, wildfires in Australia, exacerbated by prolonged drought and extreme heat, damaged transmission lines and power stations, disrupting electricity supply for thousands of households.