Publication: Bloomberg News
UCLA Expert: Glen MacDonald: Distinguished Professor, Department of Geography; Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Director, John Muir Memorial Chair; Member, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Synopsis: The extent of area burned in California’s summer wildfires increased about fivefold from 1971 to 2021, and climate change was a major reason why, according to a new analysis. Scientists estimate the area burned in an average summer may jump as much as 50% by 2050.
UCLA News: MacDonald, who was not part of the study, said it is “another excellent paper that shows the relationship between anthropogenic climate change and drying the climate.” The link “is true in California, but it is true in the western United States in general and [is] increasing fires,” he said.
Read more at Bloomberg News.
