Wildfires Are Inevitable – But They Can Be Managed

Each year, wildfires scorch about 4 million sq km of the planet, and their frequency is projected to rise by 50% by 2100, according to satellite data. This year’s Northern Hemisphere summer has already seen major blazes in Russia’s Far East, Türkiye, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Portugal, France, Spain, and Canada.

Climate change is a key driver, intensifying heatwaves and droughts that dry forests into ready fuel. Human activity – from careless land clearing to expanding urban areas – further raises the risk. In 2024, wildfires emitted an estimated 6,199 megatonnes of CO₂, feeding a destructive climate feedback loop.

Yet fire is not always destructive. Naturally occurring blazes have shaped ecosystems for millions of years, clearing debris, enriching soil, and even triggering germination in certain plants. Many Indigenous communities have long practiced controlled burns to reduce hazardous fuel loads, boost biodiversity, and sustain food sources. In Australia’s Kimberley region, reintroducing these techniques has cut massive wildfires from annual disasters to once-a-decade events.

Experts, including the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, advocate “integrated fire management” – combining prescribed burns, community involvement, early-warning systems, and improved firefighting capacity. Using drought indices and traditional weather knowledge can help predict fire danger, while early detection allows suppression before flames spread out of control.

Preserving biodiversity and curbing development in fire-prone landscapes are also critical. Building closer to wild areas, experts warn, makes communities both the cause and victim of devastating fires.

The lesson is clear: wildfires will happen, but with prevention, preparedness, and respect for nature’s balance, they need not become unstoppable catastrophes.

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