… In the western United States, extensive fires are now commonplace. … The area of land burnt each year increases exponentially with aridity. And climate change is making the fire season in the western United States both warmer and drier. … In the past six years, just three fast-moving wildfires — in Paradise, California, in 2018; the 2021 Marshall fire in Colorado; and the 2023 fire in Lahaina, Hawaii — destroyed thousands of homes and together took more than 150 lives. As well as spreading flames and choking smoke, fires increase the likelihoods of water pollution, flooding and mudslides by, for example, killing vegetation that would otherwise regulate water run-off and stabilize soils.

Other wildfire research and climate change articles:

• The New York Times: Wildfires in the west aren’t just getting bigger. They’re faster, too.
• San Francisco Chronicle: This data shows just how much faster California wildfires are getting — and why that’s so dangerous
• PBS News: World on pace for significantly more warming without immediate climate action, UN report warns