Forest Fire Smoke Could Potentially Kill 12,000 People Annually

forest fires impacting air quality
forest fires impacting air quality (photo: roya ann miller - Unspalash)
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As the threat of forest fires intensifies across Indonesia, particularly in Kalimantan, the situation has prompted an extended alert status in West Kalimantan, lasting until October 31, 2024. Forest fires here are not just an environmental concern but a public health crisis, as recent studies reveal that the forest fire smoke could cause around 12,000 deaths annually.

The increasing frequency of wildfires worldwide can be attributed to climate change and global warming. Recent research shows that these factors are triggering more fires across the globe, leading to even greater health hazards from smoke pollution. Smoke from wildfires contains PM2.5, tiny particles that infiltrate the lungs and bloodstream, causing serious health risks.

Researchers predict an alarming rise in deaths linked to smoke exposure in high-risk regions such as Australia, South America, Europe, and Asia’s boreal forests.

One study spanning 2003 to 2019 indicates that global warming contributed to a 16% increase in burned land area. However, human interventions, including deforestation for infrastructure and agriculture, have offset some of this rise, reducing the burned area by about 19%.

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Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, these studies offer insights into the dual impacts of rising greenhouse gas emissions and human land use on wildfires. Led by Dr. Chae Yeon Park from Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies, one study estimated that in the 2010s, nearly 100,000 people died each year from exposure to forest fire smoke.

Higher temperatures and lower humidity are critical conditions that heighten wildfire risks. But researchers noted that human actions, such as breaking up forests and savannas, have played a role in mitigating fire spread in some places. To analyze these impacts, the team applied three global models for vegetation and fire, testing them with current climate conditions against scenarios without recent climate change.

In separate research by UK and Belgian scientists, findings highlight that global warming has intensified wildfire risks, particularly in Australia, Siberia, and African savannas. As Seppe Lampe from Vrije Universiteit Brussel remarked, while human activities like landscape changes have reduced the extent of burned areas, “the effects of climate change are increasingly pronounced.”

Adding perspective, Professor Wim Thiery, one of the study’s authors, commented that the pace at which climate change is expanding fire-prone areas is rising annually.