Fire frequency is increasing in all ecosystems studied. But in some places, fires were occurring so often it put entire ecosystems at risk of collapse.
The fossil deposits at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles have well-preserved remains of many prehistoric animals that got stuck in natural asphalt seeps over the past 60,000 years.
Cullen Townsend, courtesy of NHMLAC
Emily Lindsey, University of California, Los Angeles; Lisa N. Martinez, University of California, Los Angeles, and Regan E. Dunn, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
New findings from the La Brea Tar Pits in southern California suggest human-caused wildfires in the region, along with a warming climate, led to the loss of most of the area’s large mammals.
Hawaii has very dry landscapes, such as parts of the west coast of Oahu.
Maria Ermolova/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Humans (particularly those in the Northern Hemisphere) generally prefer the heat, a bias which has hampered effective climate communications for decades.
Fire sites like Lahaina, where residents were allowed in on Aug. 11, 2023, are filled with hazards, both obvious and unseen.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Maui County issued an ‘unsafe water’ alert and urged precautions. Residents can face several toxic hazards from fires, as an expert in the chemical risks from fires explains.
A view of the devastation in Lahaina, Hawaii, following the wildfires in August 2023.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
The region of Maui has been revered by its Indigenous peoples as a sacred place for generations. It is believed to be the home of Kihawahine, a woman who transformed into a goddess.
A wildfire burns in Kihei, Hawaii, on Aug. 9, 2023.
AP Photo/Ty O'Neil
An expert on Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria explains why it’s hard for the US to deliver disaster aid in places like Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
As I hear reports of the fire tearing through Maui, I feel utterly depressed. As a fire scientist, I know the unfolding horror is just the beginning in our warmer world.
Damaged buildings sit in the water along the shore following Hurricane Fiona in Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou, N.L. in September, 2022. Fiona left a trail of destruction across much of Atlantic Canada.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Air quality forecasting is getting better, thanks in part to AI. That’s good, given the health impact of air pollution. An environmental engineer explains how systems warn of incoming smog or smoke.
Ruby Mountain hotshots construct a fire line during the Dixie Fire in 2021.
Joe Bradshaw/BLM
Twenty-five years of research show what it takes to fuel wildland firefighters through an average day, and the toll the long seasonal work takes on their bodies.
A young boy in Lebanon struggles to stay cool during a heat wave. Climate anxiety is real for millions around the globe and presents serious consequences for us all, especially younger generations. Working to reduce climate anxiety is an essential part of any climate plan.
(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
No one plans a European holiday thinking of fleeing from fire or sheltering from intense heat. But the climate crisis is forcing a reckoning – tourism as we knew it will have to change.
Tourists flock to experience the heat in Death Valley, Calif.
(AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
With tourists flocking in droves to ‘experience’ heat waves, perhaps it’s time for everyone to take a good hard look at their individual contribution to global warming.
Beyond the danger to human life and economies, wildfires also present considerable danger to communities and the mental well-being of survivors.
(AP Photo/Noah Berger)
To effectively address climate hazards like wildfire, we must consider the diverse experiences of people, account for longstanding institutions and create processes that empower local people.
Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University
Wildfire Specialist at the University of California Cooperative Extension; Adjunct Professor Bren School of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara