Scientists: Climate Change Increased Risk of Australian Wild
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:57 am
FILE - Firefighters battle the Morton Fire as it burns a home near Bundanoon, New South Wales, Australia, Jan. 23, 2020.
A new scientific study shows climate change was 30% more likely to have triggered the recent devastating bushfires in Australia.
The study was conducted by an international group of scientists from Europe, Australia and the United States for World Weather Attribution, an independent agency that analyzes the possible influence of climate change on extreme weather events.
Using the latest high-resolution computer models, the scientists found that temperatures are 1-2 degrees Celsius higher than in 1900, and the risk for fire is four times more likely compared with the conditions in the same year.
More than 19 million hectares were destroyed during Australia’s 2019-20 wildfire season, which also killed 34 people and more than 1 billion animals.