Climate change plays role in US fires: climate expert

Potsdam, Germany (dpa), 18 Sept, 2020 -  The wave of devastating forest fires currently sweeping parts of the western United States are in part a result of man-made climate change, according to an expert at Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).  

Man-made climate change had contributed significantly to an increase in drought-stricken areas and extremely dried-out vegetation in the western US, the institute’s wildfire expert, Kirsten Thonicke, told dpa.  

A small spark and extreme winds were enough to set off ferocious blazes, which can cause considerable damage.  

“Through this chain of events, climate change contributes to the fact that forest fires take on such proportions, with these results,” Thonicke added.  

Regarding US President Donald Trump’s assessment that not climate change but faulty forest management is the main cause of the forest fires, Thonicke pointed out that California is very experienced in setting controlled fires to remove dead wood and litter and reduce the effects of subsequent forest fires.