A new report from the United Nations Environment Program and the non-profit environmental contact point Grid-Arendal says climate change and land use will lead to an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, with a global increase of wildfires up to 50 % by the end of the century.

There is a higher risk even for the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected by wildfires, according to the report Spreading Like Wildfire: The Growing Threat of Unusual Landscape Fires, which points to a global increase in wildfires that are up to 14% per year. , 2030, 30% by the end of 2050 and 50% by 2100
He also called for a radical change in public spending on wildfires, shifting their investment from response and response to prevention and preparedness, and urged governments to adopt a “ready-made fire fighting formula” that with two-thirds of that spending goes to planning. , prevention, preparation and recovery, and the remaining third for response.
Inger Anderson, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said the government’s current wildfire response often sends money in the wrong direction.
“Rescue workers and frontline firefighters who risk their lives in fighting wildfires need support,” he said. local communities, and strengthening global commitment to combating climate change.