As the scenes of devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires since they broke out on January 7, which California Governor Gavin Newsom described as the “worst natural disaster in US history” in terms of destruction and cost, the global wildfire crisis is back into the spotlight.
While wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems, scientists have warned that they are becoming more frequent and widespread due to rising global temperatures and more extreme weather events, rapidly consuming vast areas of vegetation and land, according to data from the European Space Agency's Global Fire Atlas.
Causes of Wildfires
NASA mapping data shows that wildfires are caused by a number of natural factors, which are increasing due to climate change, including low rainfall, drought and lightning, similar to the fires that are common in Canada's northern forests during the summer.
But, there are other types of fires that are the result of human activity, whether intentional or accidental, such as the fires in the Amazon rainforest in the heart of South America during the past months of August and October.
Agricultural fires occur throughout Southeast Asia during late winter and early spring each year, while in Africa, fires increase as the dry season intensifies.
The African continent has the largest percentage of land area exposed to forest fires compared to the total area of the continent, as the percentage usually ranges from 6% to 8% annually of the total African land area, noting that some areas may burn several times during the year, according to the Global Forest Fire Information System (GWIS) issued by the Copernicus Climate Observatory of the European Union.
Active Geographic Regions
Wildfires are most common in certain regions around the world, namely the Far East of Russia, Siberia, Canada, the United States, Australia, Brazil, and the Mediterranean.
The frequency of wildfires is linked to a number of factors, including humidity and temperature levels, the type of vegetation in the surrounding environment, and wind direction and speed.
Mediterranean region
If we look at the Mediterranean Basin in detail, we will find that Algeria is one of the most affected countries in the Mediterranean Basin, and it comes in third place in terms of the area of wild lands burned as a result of the outbreak of waves of forest fires at the regional level. The country lost nearly 70 thousand hectares of forests between 2006 and 2024, according to the global data website “Statist”.
During the same period, Syria lost about 43,000 hectares of forest, while Tunisia lost 8,000 hectares, and Morocco lost about 6,000 hectares.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reports show that the causes of forest fires throughout the Mediterranean are due to urban development, rural mismanagement, and overexploitation of natural resources, in addition to the repercussions of climate change, including prolonged periods of drought and extreme events such as high temperatures, dry air, strong winds, and sudden storms.
2023 saw record wildfire activity in North Africa, and the impact of these fires was felt far away, with analyses and data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) showing smoke plumes moving across the Gulf of Guinea and across the tropical Atlantic Ocean to South America.
Several large forest fires also broke out in northern Algeria, spreading rapidly and prompting rapid evacuations. CAMS data shows an increase in the number and severity of fires in Algeria.
Environmental effect
Wildfires cause significant human and economic losses, in addition to environmental damage that affects the atmosphere, air and ecosystems in general, and their repercussions may extend for a long time.
Carbon emissions
Wildfires cause significant emissions of carbon dioxide, as carbon stored in trees, grasslands and crops is released into the atmosphere when burned. The amount of carbon dioxide released by wildfires worldwide is estimated at between 5 and 8 billion tons per year, according to the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS).
Record emissions in 2024 due to wildfires
Last year witnessed intense wildfire activity, with North and South America the most affected, according to CAMS data, with an increased rate of fires in Arctic forests.
These fires have helped push carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to record levels, and data shows that the Earth is heading towards a more dangerous world filled with increasingly extreme climate events, according to “The Guardian”.
Professor “Richard Betts” of the UK Met Office said carbon dioxide emissions had risen by 3.6 parts per million in 2024, higher than the Met Office's forecast of 2.8 parts per million.
He added that this rise in emission levels, contributing to global warming, may be was due to devastating wildfires that emitted billions of tons of carbon dioxide, especially in the Americas, as a result of the climate crisis
Air pollution
Burnt trees and plants release air pollutants such as black carbon, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, which are harmful to human health, can cause respiratory problems, or are linked to premature death from heart disease and stroke.
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major pollutant of concern, as it can penetrate deep into the lungs and affect air quality.
Biological diversity
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), wildfires threaten habitats within the world's biodiversity hotspots, or wilderness areas that contain large numbers of rare and endangered endemic species.
There are 34 internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots, some of which are located in the Mediterranean region, putting these rare ecosystems and endemic species at risk from fires.
There is growing concern about the impact of global warming on the frequency and severity of wildfires, with droughts and heat waves contributing to increased flammability of landscapes and the potential for large-scale wildfires in some parts of the world.
IUCN calls for the development and implementation of strict preventive policies and financing mechanisms to address the root causes of wildfires, most notably the climate crisis.
