Climate change made recent South American wildfires 3 times more likely: Report

According to a new report by the World Weather Attribution, climate change has impacted the weather in such a way that it made the recent wildfires in South America around 2.5 to 3 times more likely.  

Scientists found that the fire-ravaged regions in Chile and Argentina received around 20-25% less rainfall as the world warms due to the burning of fossil fuels. Even La Niña was found to have played a minor role in promoting dry conditions that led to the wildfires. All evidence points to climate change. 

Between January 17-19, severe wildfires tore through the Chilean regions of Biobío and Ñuble, killing 23 people, destroying over 1,000 homes, and forcing 52,000 people to flee. The fire weather was driven by temperatures exceeding 37°C and fierce winds of 40km/h. 

In the bordering state of Argentina, in the Chubut region, blazes also broke out on January 5 which have impacted areas of high ecological importance, including the UNESCO listed Los Alerces National Park in Patagonia, home to ancient Alerce trees that can live for over 3,000 years. 

Climate change responsible for dry weather

“Our analysis shows a clear and dangerous fingerprint of climate change on these fires. By burning fossil fuels, we have essentially loaded the dice, making the conditions for these devastating blazes more likely. We are also seeing early summer rainfall dropping by as much as 25% primarily as a result of carbon emissions. This not only causes drier vegetation in Chile and Argentina that fires can feed on, but water scarcity concerns for the people who live here too,” said Dr. Clair Barnes, Research Associate in Extreme Weather and Climate Change at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. 

According to the report, human-induced climate change made the weather hot, dry and windy during the two days of intense fire activity in Chile about 3x more likely, while the the 5-day fires in Argentina was made about 2.5x more likely. 

This is happening because the summers are drier than earlier. Compounded with the dry conditions promoted by the La Niña and the Southern Annular Mode, it is a recipe for disaster. 

Human activity, primarily the expansion of non-native pine plantations and invasive species, has created highly flammable landscapes in Chile, which also contributed to the spread of the fire, found the report.

“These fires are striking at the heart of our communities and natural heritage. In Patagonia, we are seeing blazes threaten the Alerce trees - ancient giants that have stood undisturbed for thousands of years. The combination of human-induced warming and natural cycles like La Niña has created an aridity that fires thrive on. For Chile and Argentina, the drying of our landscapes is no longer a projection, but a crisis that needs an urgent response to protect our unique biodiversity and the people of our region,” said Dr. Juan Antonio Rivera, Argentine Institute of Nivology, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences (IANIGLA), Scientific and Technological Center (CCT) - CONICET in Mendoza, Argentina.