In the study, the authors analysed the damage and number of fatalities caused by wildfires worldwide between 1980 and 2023, and linked the analysis to climatic conditions that favour wildfires. The most important findings:

• Wildfires causing very serious damage increased significantly from 2015 onwards. 43% of the 200 wildfires resulting in the greatest damage occurred in the last ten years of the observation period. The “Mediterranean biome” (Europe, the southern portion of South America, western US, South Africa, southern Australia) and the “temperate conifer biome” (mostly western North America) have been the hardest hit.
• The most damaging wildfires were found to be closely linked to increasingly extreme climatic conditions, known as “fire disaster weather,” with high temperatures resulting in vapour pressure deficit and drought.According to the study, the frequency and severity of this “fire disaster weather” increased significantly during the observation period from 1980 to 2023.
• In summary, the study therefore suggests that climate change is playing a considerable role in the increase in major wildfire disasters, but also discusses important adaptations to managing built and natural environments.