Thread by @UCSUSA

California's Bay Area wakes up to disorienting orange skies. By raising temperatures, melting snow sooner, and drying soils and forests, climate change is fueling #Wildfires. Here’s a thread on what the science shows. twitter.com/i/events/13037…

#1: Wildfires are getting worse. Since 2015, the United States has experienced, on average, roughly 100 more large wildfires every year than the year before.

This changes region by region, and year to year, but generally we’re seeing more wildfires, more acres burned, and longer, more intense fire seasons.

#2: Wildfires are causing more harm. Wildfires are dangerous and destructive. The historically large Camp Fire of 2018 caused at least ninety deaths, destroyed more than 18,000 structures, and covered an area roughly the same size as the Chicago metropolitan area.

They're also expensive. Between 2014 and 2018, the federal government spent an average of $2.4 billion fighting wildfires every year. Even when adjusted for inflation, that’s more than twice what we spent 20 years earlier (1994-1998).

#3: Climate change is a key driver. Fire has historically been a natural part of many wild landscapes. But global warming has changed some of the underlying variables that make wildfires more or less likely to occur every year.

Warmer temps increase the likelihood that fires will burn more intensely. They also cause snow to melt sooner and lead to drier soils & forests which act as kindling. Increased droughts and insect outbreaks that lead to large stands of dead trees all make wildfires more likely.

#4: Management matters. Mimicking smaller "natural" fires, prescribed burns (purposefully lit, low-intensity fires) can benefit forest ecology, and help mitigate at least some of the increased wildfire risk presented by climate change.

#5: Action is possible. In the long-term, climate action is the best tool we have. When we reduce global warming emissions, we slow the growth of climate risks, including wildfires. act.ucsusa.org/2Fk5WlQ