REUTERS/Dan Riedlhuber/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The fires that tore through the Canadian province of Quebec between May and July were made at least twice as likely by climate change, scientists said on Tuesday.
Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, also made the fires as much as 50% more intense, according to the analysis by World Weather Attribution group, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather.
"Climate change is greatly increasing the flammability of the fuel available for wildfires – this means that a single spark, regardless of its source, can rapidly turn into a blazing inferno," said Yan Boulanger, a research scientist at Natural Resources Canada.
Scientists reviewed weather data, including temperature, windspeed, humidity, and precipitation, and used computer models to assess how climate change had altered fire weather this year, comparing it to preindustrial climate.
The Quebec fires are just one sliver of what has been the country's worst wildfire season on record.
Persons:
Dan Riedlhuber, Yan Boulanger, Philippe Gachon, Gloria Dickie, Devika
Organizations:
REUTERS, Natural Resources, University of Quebec, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Thomson
Locations:
Okanagan Lake, West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Canadian, Quebec, Natural Resources Canada, Montreal, Yellowknife, Territories, London