Wildfires being made 'much worse' by climate change
by Marita MoloneyWildfires like those burning on the west coast of the United States are being made "much worse" by climate change.
That's according to David Wallace-Wells, climate columnist for New York magazine and author of The Uninhabitable Earth.
At least 31 people have now died in blazes which continue to spread in 12 states.
Exceptionally hot conditions and dry winds have caused blazes to rage out of control and have destroyed thousands of homes.
The US President Donald Trump is set to visit California tomorrow as the number of people killed in wildfires on the country's west coast increases.
Mr Wallace-Wells says climate change and urban sprawl means more properties are at risk now than ever before.
Speaking to On The Record with Gavan Reilly, he said the problem of wildfires is being made "much much worse by the force of climate change".
He said: "Flammable land in California has grown as much as 900% over the last few decades.
"Because of climate change, the fire season there is two months longer than it was just a couple of decades ago.
"Beyond the fires themselves, we're also building out into those places that are vulnerable to fire so in California, 60% of residential building since 1990 has taken place in parts of the state that are vulnerable to wildfire."
He added that wildfires of this scale are the new normal.
Mr Wallace-Wells said: "We need to figure out how to get climate change under control through rapid decarbonisation.
"But I think that even if we do that, we also have to start thinking about how we can come to terms with these increased, more intense fires that we're seeing.
"At the absolute very best, it's still going to get considerably worse form where we are now.
He said the scale of the fires like those being seen in California will continue for the next 20 or 30 years.
He added: "Probably 30 years from now, we're going to be dealing with around four million acres on average burning."
Wildfires being made 'much worse' by climate change