fires Archives - State of the Planet

A shepherd and his herd in Senegal

Combining Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge Enhances Fire Management in the Sahel

A less predictable climate is undermining traditional decision-making around controlled burns in the Sahel. Columbia’s ACToday project is forging connections to enhance these communities’ resilience to the changing climate.

by Natalie Duncan |March 19, 2021

Fast-Growing Parts of Africa See a Surprise: Less Air Pollution From Seasonal Fires

Unfortunately, growing urban emissions mean that the reprieve may only be temporary.

by |February 8, 2021

Study Bolsters Case That Climate Change Is Driving Many California Wildfires

A new study combs through the factors that can promote wildfires in California, and concludes that in many cases, warming climate is the decisive driver.

by |July 15, 2019

Wildfire Experts: A Journalist’s Guide

A guide to wildfire experts at the Earth Institute.

by |November 14, 2018

Rising Temperatures Lead to Increased Fire Risk in Indonesia

A new paper shows that rising temperatures have increased the risk of fires even during non-drought years in Indonesia, possibly making mild fire seasons in the country a thing of the past.

by |May 1, 2017
Amazon Fires

Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

For millennia, people have set fires to clear land for cultivation, pastures or hunting; so-called slash-and-burn agriculture is still common across much of tropical Africa, Asia and South America. It has been a useful strategy–but …

by |November 16, 2011

To Burn, or Not to Burn

A new report by the World Resources Institute showcases IRI’s efforts to get decision makers in Indonesia to change their fire policy, so that it was based on seasonal climate information.

by |April 6, 2011