Climate warming, which increases the frequency of forest fires, is directly responsible for the increasing proportion of deaths related to the pollution caused by them, say scientists in an article published in the journal Nature Climate Change and cited by AFP.
The researchers worked with several models.
“The effects of climate change on (…) fire-related mortality have been evident for 60 years and are steadily increasing,” the study’s authors concluded.
Climate change is increasing the frequency of forest fires around the world, even if this trend is not uniform due to the variable effects of rising temperatures. Fiery elements increase fine particulate pollution, which in turn damages health and contributes to many deaths.
So the study authors are trying to determine to what extent global warming may be linked to these deaths for the period from the 1960s to the present day. To do this, they use several computer models that compare historical reality with a hypothetical situation where climate change does not exist, BTA reported.
Researchers say that in 2010, more than 10,000 deaths were linked to the effects of climate change on wildfires, compared to less than a thousand in 1960, noted AFP.
The models used give different results. According to some, more than a quarter of the deaths are linked to fires caused by global warming. According to others, they are only five percent. However, all models show an increasing trend, which persists even when large areas of the world are considered in isolation, adds AFP.