Climate change made Canadian wildfires twice as likely: Study
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Prolonged hot and dry weather since July has driven the rapid spread of fires across the country, with Ontario and the North-west Territories especially impacted.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Human-caused climate change has doubled the likelihood of extreme fire conditions behind Canada’s 2026 wildfires, according to a World Weather Attribution study.
- Over 3.8 million hectares burned, displacing thousands and exposing millions to dangerous smoke, with Ontario and North-west Territories most affected.
- Researchers warn that wildfire frequency and intensity will increase without rapid fossil fuel reduction, as fires also accelerate global warming by releasing carbon dioxide.
AI generated
WASHINGTON – Human-caused climate change made the extreme fire conditions behind the 2026 Canadian wildfires twice as likely, a study said on Aug 6.
Although the season began with below-normal activity, prolonged hot and dry weather since July has driven the rapid spread of fires across the country, with Ontario and the North-west Territories especially impacted.
More than 3.8 million ha have burned so far in 2026, displacing thousands of people and exposing millions to dangerous levels of smoke.
To assess the role of climate change, researchers at the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group used observations and climate models to compare conditions with what the world would have looked like without climate change warming the planet by 1.4 deg C since pre-industrial times.
Focusing on the seven-day and 30-day periods of most extreme “fire weather” in Ontario and the North-west Territories, they found human-induced climate change made the events about twice as likely.
“Based only on observations, fire weather as seen in this year’s event is no longer rare in today’s climate, expected to occur once every two to six years in the North-west Territories, and every six to 15 years in Ontario,” the WWA said.
In a world without climate change, it would have occurred around every 40 years.
“Since 2023, the wildfires we’ve seen across Canada have been fundamentally different in their scale and intensity,” said lead author Theodore Keeping of Imperial College London.
“The geographic spread of these fires is scary and shows that despite preparedness from wildfire governance, adaptation alone is not enough,” he added.
“We need to rapidly move away from fossil fuels to avoid events like this becoming even more of a reality.”
Human-caused climate change is increasingly creating conditions for more frequent and intense wildfires through increased heat, extended drought, and a “thirsty” atmosphere that enhances the drying of organic matter.
It is a vicious cycle, with increased wildfires releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, accelerating planetary warming. AFP
