Part 3/9:
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has published evidence supporting the claim that while global wildfire incidents are declining, California has seen a rise. This contradiction prompts the question: Is climate change irrelevant?
Analyzing the Local vs. Global Argument
Research indicates that global decreases in burned areas may be attributed to agricultural expansion into lands traditionally prone to wildfires. The vegetation replaced by farmland tends to be less flammable. Furthermore, studies demonstrate that climate strongly influences wildfire activity, with climate change significantly lengthening fire seasons in California. A 2021 analysis attributed two-thirds of the uptick in wildfire activity in the Western United States to anthropogenic climate change.