Climate change has driven a record surge in wildfires across Africa, Asia and other regions this year, with scientists warning that conditions are likely to worsen further as the northern hemisphere enters summer and El Niño weather patterns intensify.
Fires between January and April have already burned more than 150 million hectares (370.66 million acres) globally, a 20% increase on the previous record, according to data compiled by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a research group studying the role of global warming in extreme weather.
Scientists say the scale and speed of early-season fire activity is highly unusual, with the risk of further escalation as temperatures rise.
Theodore Keeping, a wildfire expert at Imperial College London and member of WWA, said conditions suggested a “particularly severe year” ahead when combined with expected El Niño development.
In Africa alone, around 85 million hectares have already burned this year, 23% above the previous record of 69 million hectares. Researchers say the extreme fire activity is being driven by rapid swings between unusually wet and dry conditions, which create dense vegetation followed by intense drought, providing abundant fuel for fires.
In Asia, about 44 million hectares have burned so far this year, nearly 40% above the previous record set in 2014. Countries including India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and China have been among the worst affected.
Scientists warn that wildfire risks could escalate further as El Niño conditions (caused by warming sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean) are expected to develop this month, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The pattern typically increases the likelihood of drought in regions including Australia, Indonesia and parts of southern Asia, while raising flood risks elsewhere.
Friederike Otto, a Climate Scientist at Imperial College London and co-founder of WWA, warned that a strong El Niño combined with human-driven climate change could produce “unprecedented weather extremes”, including more severe and widespread wildfires.
Researchers say the coming months will be critical, with already-record-breaking fire activity potentially worsening further if forecast climate conditions intensify as expected.
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decisio...
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a...
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the hel...
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the...
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that xAI’s Grok chatbot and its parent company X Corp. violated federal privacy law by launching an AI ima...
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decision after senior leadership in Iran agreed to peace talks.
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a disagreement about defence spending.
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the helm of Spain’s most successful football club, more than a decade since his last stint as the team's manager.
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that xAI’s Grok chatbot and its parent company X Corp. violated federal privacy law by launching an AI image-generation tool without adequate safeguards, enabling the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexualised deepfakes.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
The Pakistani city of Karachi is struggling under severe heat and humidity as the country enters a prolonged heatwave period. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of above-normal temperatures across much of the country between 7 and 12 June.
Ukraine's military said it struck a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Black Sea as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Moscow's energy and logistics networks. The move underscores Kyiv's focus on targeting maritime assets it says are used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil exports.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
France’s parliament has formally recognised state responsibility for the use of the toxic pesticide chlordecone in Martinique and Guadeloupe, marking a significant step in addressing decades of environmental contamination and public health concerns.
Financial markets are significantly underestimating the economic impact of biodiversity loss, potentially leaving countries exposed to sovereign debt crises and rising borrowing costs, according to new research published on Friday.
Wildlife researchers have identified dozens of previously unknown insect species during an expedition to Angola’s remote Lisima Plateau, a conservation group announced on Wednesday.
Global weather forecasters predict a strong El Niño will develop in the second half of 2026, bringing hotter, drier conditions to much of Asia while increasing rainfall in parts of North and South America.
Google has asked U.S. regulators for permission to release up to 32 million sterilised mosquitoes in California and Florida as part of its experimental “Debug” programme aimed at reducing populations of disease-carrying insects.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment