Climate change heightens threats in a world on fire

If global warming continues unabated, it is likely extreme fire events will too, say experts

UNITED STATES: Firefighters working to control flames from a backfire in Santa Paula, California, on Nov 1 last year. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE AMAZON: A desolate burnt area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho, Brazil, on Aug 26 last year. PH
INDONESIA: Firefighters at work last year in Riau, a province close to Singapore. PHOTO: RIAU DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
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Over the past year or so, Earth was a planet on fire.

In almost every continent - from Australia to the Americas - areas of forest, tundra and savannah were ablaze, and the fires were all caused by different reasons.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 13, 2020, with the headline Climate change heightens threats in a world on fire. Subscribe