A recent study on the “wildfire paradox” established that while the total global land area burned by wildfires has decreased by about 25% from 2002 to 2021, the number of people exposed to these fires has increased by roughly 40%. The paradox is attributed to the expansion of human settlements into fire-prone areas, especially in Africa, which accounts for 85% of all human exposure to wildfires. This disparity is largely due to agricultural expansion and increased human settlement in fire-prone areas, particularly in the savanna regions of Africa, such as the Congo, South Sudan, Mozambique, Zambia, and Angola, where frequent, localized fires occur.

The study concludes that focusing solely on the amount of land burned is misleading and that effective solutions require a combination of local fire management, fire-resistant infrastructure, and global climate action.

Source: Earth.Com