Yes, climate change is making wildfires worse
Three powerful wildfires are blazing in California. By Friday morning,Ìý, destroying Paradise, a community of about 26,000 people north of Sacramento.
Near Los Angeles, the Woolsey and Hill fires have already scorched more than 7,000 acres, resulting in the evacuation of 88,000 homes by Friday morning,Ìý.
The three wildfires are being fueled byÌýdry conditionsÌýÌýAnd on Friday, each of the fires remained almost completely uncontained. The severe fire activity is raising questions about whether climate change is influencing wildfires, especially in the American West.
ParkÌýWilliams, a bioclimatologist atÌýLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, was awarded fundingÌýfrom the Center for Climate and LifeÌýto study this topic. Williams examines the drivers of drought and the role of human-induced climate change, particularly on the health and resilience of forests.
A 2016 study co-authored by Williams and John Abatzoglou, a professor of geography at the University of Idaho,ÌýÌýin the western United States over the last 30 years.
"No matter how hard we try, the fires are going to keep getting bigger, and the reason is really clear,"Ìý. "Climate is really running the show in terms of what burns. We should be getting ready for bigger fire years than those familiar to previous generations."
Provided by Columbia University