12 hours Ago By Alexander Butler
Climate change made severe fires during the UK ’s 2022 summer heatwave six times more likely , new research has revealed. The Met Office study said human-induced climate change “ amplified fire risks ” and warned that wildfires posed an increasing risk to people, property, and ecosystems. Temperatures soared to 40C for the first time in August 2022 saw with the London Fire Brigade having the busiest day since the Second World War , according to the forecaster.
“The 2022 heatwave wasn’t just record-breaking — it drastically increased the risk of fires, highlighting the growing danger climate change poses to the UK,” Dr Chantelle Burton, of the Met Office, said. “We found that the 2022 UK severe fires were made at least six times more likely due to human influence. With hotter, drier summers becoming the norm, fires are an emerging threat to the UK.
” Scientists used advanced climate models and a “fire weather index” - an indicator of hot, dry, windy weather conditions associated with fires - to assess the risk of extreme fire weather conditions in 2022. By analysing historical data and future scenarios, the study provided insight into how fire danger was increasing due to climate change. The researchers compared the present day climate to one without human influence through greenhouse gas emissions to understand the influence of climate change on fire weather.
They looked at how changes in the weather affected the danger fires posed - how far they were likely to spread and intensify - once they were ignited. More than 3,000 heat-related deaths were recorded in England and Wales between June and August 2022, according to a joint report by the Office of National Statistics and the UK Health Security Agency. Mike Hendon, a researcher at Imperial College’s Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society, said at the time:“It was the warmest year for the UK in our long-running record national series back to 1884, and for Central England in a series of more than three centuries.
“We also had an unprecedented heatwave, with 40C recorded in the UK for the first time, marking a moment [in] climate history.” Dr Douglas Kelley, a land surface modeller at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), added: “Our findings underscore a stark reality. “Climate change is amplifying fire risks right now, even here in the UK.
Wildfires will pose an increasing risk to people, property, infrastructure and ecosystems as temperatures continue to rise.” Dr Burton added: “The experiences of 2022 serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to adapt to a changing climate and reduce carbon emissions to limit further warming.”.
