Extreme temperatures around the world are increasingly causing more and more extreme weather events from wildfires to floods and even drought. What was once seen as ‘something that didn’t happen here’ is no longer the case.
As stated on the BBC – “There were more than 44,000 wildfires in 2022 - an increase of 72% on the previous year, according to government figures out”.
We have already seen average global land temperatures increase over 1°C since the Industrial Revolution. As a result of this baseline increase in temperature, we are seeing extreme heat events, such as heatwaves and record-breaking high temperatures, become more frequent, long-lasting, and intense. - Met Office
The impact of climate change will continue to put pressure of emergency services and volunteers
UK “woefully under-prepared" to face increasing threat of wildfires - Fire Brigades Union warns in a report in 2023
Climate change is making the weather conditions needed for wildfires to spread more likely, according to the UN's climate body, the IPCC. Extreme and long-lasting heat like that seen in the UK in the summer of 2022 draws more and more moisture out of the ground and vegetation. – BBC
The increasing chances of these extreme events continue to rise as long as we continue to emit greenhouse gases. The science is clear that the faster we reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases, the more we can avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.” - Met office
Sources
Revealed: UK ‘woefully under-prepared’ to face increasing threat of wildfires | Fire Brigades Union (fbu.org.uk)
UK unready as wildfires surge, warns firefighters' union - BBC News
UK and Global extreme events – Heatwaves - Met Office