Disasters explained: heatwaves
Heatwaves are extreme weather events. Learn about what they are, why they happen and their link to climate change.
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Most wildfires are caused by humans, with only 10-15% of them thought to happen on their own in nature.
Causes range from discarded cigarettes to sparking powerlines. A major fire in California was even caused by a smoke-bomb from a gender reveal party. Fires caused by humans are likely to be far more destructive than those caused by weather events, according to the Science Journal.
Read on to find out more about wildfires, their link with climate change, where they occur and more.
What is a wildfire?
A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire in an area of vegetation in rural areas. They are also known as wildland fires, rural fires, or bush fires.
Wildfires can rapidly burn millions of acres of land and destroy everything — trees, homes, animals, and humans – in their paths. Families and communities in rural, high-risk areas are in danger of losing their homes and having to flee to safety. Wildfires also have major health hazards, especially for people with existing respiratory problems.
The World Health Organization has reported that wildfire smoke contains a mixture of harmful pollutants that are hazardous when inhaled. Particulate Matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke is associated with premature deaths. It can cause and exacerbate diseases of the lungs and heart, brain and nervous system, skin, gut, kidneys, eyes, nose, and liver.
Wildfires also release a large amount of greenhouse gases into the environment. This impacts climate change and makes weather conditions that can help lead to wildfires more likely. This includes heatwaves and droughts.
Does climate change cause more wildfires?
Climate change increases the occurrence and severity of wildfires.
Hotter weather, a result of climate change, leads to heatwaves. As a result, forests and vegetation are drier and at a higher risk of catching fire and burning.
Climate change scientists are reporting more severe fires. Larger areas are burned because of the warming temperatures in the world. Also, wildfires themselves release gases that can contribute to climate change. This perpetuates a cycle of increased fire risk.
As the temperature rises, more catastrophic wildfires are expected in the future. In 2022, the UN Environment Program reported that wildfires are expected to increase by 14% globally by 2030, 30% by the end of 2050 and 50% by 2100. They could also affect previously untouched regions such as the Artic.
Climate change and disasters
When severe flooding caused devastation across the north and south of Pakistan, father of four, Abdul, lost his home and his livelihood. After receiving a ShelterBox tent, Abdul and his family told us they were joyful to have a roof over their heads.
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Wildfires can quickly become a disaster
Hazards like wildfires can be caused by natural occurrences like lightning strikes. However most are caused by human activity.
No matter how they start, wildfires have the potential to become a disaster quickly by causing widespread damage. They can displace people from their homes, or destroy livelihoods.
The decisions that we make as humans often determine whether a hazard like a wildfire develops into a disaster. Factors like where homes are built, living conditions, and how well prepared governments and authorities are to respond to such events can all make a disaster more likely.
The UN has reported that wildfires disproportionately affect the world’s poorest nations. They can struggle to recover from their long lasting impacts – often because of lack of resources or support.
At ShelterBox, we avoid using the term ‘natural’ to avoid describing a disaster for this reason. We mustn’t overlook the role that humans have in a hazard becoming a disaster. We also shouldn’t assume that the outcome would be the same, or think there is little we can do to prevent it.
Read more about the language we use to describe disasters and why.
Why disasters are not natural
Wildfire damage in Chile in 2014
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Where do wildfires occur?
There are many areas of the world prone to wildfires.
Australia is very prone to menacing bushfires. The country’s climate is generally hot, dry, and susceptible to drought. Bushfires tend to occur when light and heavy fuel loads in Eucalypt forests have dried out. This usually follows periods of low rainfall.
But wildfires are on the increase in other parts of the world too. In recent years severe wildfires have impacted many areas of the globe; including Canada and parts of North America, South America, Europe and the UK. It’s likely that they will appear in more areas as global temperatures warm up, and heatwaves become more common.
Canadian Wildfires and why we don’t respond
The 2023 wildfire season in Canada was the most destructive in history, with a staggering 6,000 fires burning 15 million hectares of land.
This more than doubled the previous record set in 1989, and surpassed the 2020 Western US wildfire season to become the worst wildfire season in North American history. The area burned was larger than the entirety of England.
Unlike previous years, the fires were widespread from coast to coast, affecting all 13 provinces and territories. They displaced nearly 200,000 Canadians who were ordered to evacuate.
It was a devastating wildfire season that affected thousands of people and their homes and livelihoods. Thankfully, the federal and provincial governments were able to offer support and relief to the people affected.
Why we didn’t respond
On average, Canada sees 2.5 million hectares of land consumed by wildfires every year. Because of this, Canada has a lot of experience responding to and recovering from wildfires. This includes supporting Canadians who have to evacuate and helping rebuild when homes are lost.
To help us make the difficult decisions about where to respond, ShelterBox has a list of criteria we use to inform our responses. This ensures we support the most people possible, who would not otherwise receive the assistance they need, with the generous donations we receive.
The list of criteria is reviewed regularly and updated as required. As climate-related disasters increase, so too does the need for shelter.
Learn more about our Response Criteria
