{"id":302312,"date":"2024-02-17T12:16:14","date_gmt":"2024-02-17T11:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=302312"},"modified":"2024-02-17T12:16:17","modified_gmt":"2024-02-17T11:16:17","slug":"chile-forest-fires-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=302312","title":{"rendered":"Chile Forest Fires\u2013Climate Change?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Homewood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

h\/t Paul Kolk<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Harbour-Valparaiso-Chile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blame it on climate change!<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Valpara\u00edso region of Chile is wealthy and densely populated, but last Friday there was little to warn residents living in the green hills and valleys that a firestorm packing the power of several hydrogen bombs was to hit.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fabiola Camilla, a 31-year-old mother of two, watched her seven-year-old daughter playing at her birthday party. She recalled nothing out of the ordinary, other than the warm, dry weather the currents of El Ni\u00f1o had brought to an area known locally as the Jewel of the Pacific.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was also a fierce wind, said Misael Vergara Tapia, a resident of the neighbouring village of Achupallas. \u201cA hot wind \u2026 a wind we had never felt before.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this idyll erupted hell. Moments later, fire was leaping from house to house, setting entire neighbourhoods ablaze and threatening the lives of thousands. \u201cIt was like a tornado of fire,\u201d said Misael, 67. \u201cIn five minutes, you couldn\u2019t see more than half a metre in front of you. Everyone was shouting, calling for their family. People died on the streets, in their cars.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wildfire is the worst disaster to hit Chile for more than a decade. At least 131 people have died, with a further 370 still missing. The hillside neighbourhoods it ripped through, destroying more 15,000 homes, are now a scorched wasteland of broken cement and steel.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firestorms of this magnitude are a terrifying phenomenon, moving so fast and with such energy that they can kill people hundreds of metres away through radiant heat alone. But it is not unique.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawaii, California, France, Portugal, Canada, Greece and Australia have all been hit in recent years. In July 2022, when temperatures reached 40C for the first time in the UK, the residents of Wennington in east London witnessed nearly 20 houses burn down in a matter of minutes. The spark was a compost heap that had spontaneously combusted.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts are now asking: What\u2019s causing these infernos? And is there anything that can be done to stop them?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chile\u2019s forest fire, like most, was preceded by unusually high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blaze started at midday in forested mountainous areas, and by the afternoon had swept northwards into the city of Vi\u00f1a del Mar, home to 330,000 people, and the smaller urban areas of Quilpu\u00e9, Limache, and Villa Alemana.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wildfires have become three times as common in Chile in recent years, according to a <\/em>recent report in Nature.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials say some are started intentionally and that extreme weather conditions \u2013 <\/em>\u201cfire weather\u201d<\/em><\/a> \u2013 are responsible for their rapid spread.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFires are increasing due to the combination of El Ni\u00f1o and global warming,\u201d said Dr Ra\u00fal Cordero, climate professor at the University of Groningen and the University of Santiago.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe years where fires are more frequent are the years of El Ni\u00f1o. The effects of global warming on the weather cannot be ignored anymore.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Cordero says that the main anomaly on the day of last week\u2019s inferno was the extreme temperatures. \u201cIn the epicentre, on Friday and Saturday, it was 36 degrees  \u2013 a likely all-time record for this city,\u201d he said.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/global-health\/climate-and-people\/tornado-of-fire-how-el-nino-sparked-chiles-worst-firestorm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quietly tucked away near the end of the Telegraph report is the real reason:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Forestry is actually very big business in Chile.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jof\/article\/114\/5\/562\/4599759?login=false<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Valparaiso region is in the central region of Chile, which has a Mediterranean climate. In other words, one which during El Nino is very hot and dry, and therefore prone to fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it is this region where the native forests have been almost totally replaced by invasive species, including eucalyptus. Most of the clearing of native forests has taken place in recent decades:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"
https:\/\/www.wri.org\/research\/chiles-frontier-forests<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"
https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jof\/article\/114\/5\/562\/4599759?login=false<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As noted, eucalyptus accounts for about a third of plantations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it any wonder these fires spread so rapidly nowadays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most fires in Chile occur up in the mountains well away from civilisation. But sooner or later, this tragedy was bound to occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change has nothing to do with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blame it on climate change!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":302328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Blame it on climate change!","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691819012,691818056,691819287,691818087,691818911,691826971],"class_list":["post-302312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chile","tag-climate-change","tag-el-nino-2","tag-global-warming","tag-mediterranean-climate","tag-valparaiso-region","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0chile_forest_fires.jpg?fit=1200%2C677&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1gE0","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":287595,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=287595","url_meta":{"origin":302312,"position":0},"title":"Is Chile set to adopt a \u201cClimate\u201d Constitution?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/11\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Principally, it recognises runaway climate change as an \u2018ecological and climate crisis\u2019 that can only be addressed through far-reaching policies and laws. It expands environmental protections and vows to safeguard the livelihoods of future generations. From \u00a0CFACT Shortly after a well-planned\u00a0communist coup\u00a0on October 18, 2019, an event that led to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Chile\"","block_context":{"text":"Chile","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=chile"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-325.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-325.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-325.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-325.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-325.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":292297,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=292297","url_meta":{"origin":302312,"position":1},"title":"Happy End: Chile Will No Longer Have A Climate Constitution\u2026 For Now","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/22\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Against all odds, Chile was once again saved from having a\u00a0new Constitution\u00a0(12\/17\/23) soaked with progressist footprints and DNA of the UN\u2019s \u2018Agenda 2030\u2019 that also included a climate change chapter. The 1980 Constitution, thus, remained in force.","rel":"","context":"In \"Chile\"","block_context":{"text":"Chile","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=chile"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0wp1846335.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0wp1846335.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0wp1846335.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0wp1846335.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0wp1846335.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":254957,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=254957","url_meta":{"origin":302312,"position":2},"title":"The Renewable Capital Cost Green Trick","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/27\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The investment cost (that which its promoters refer to) is the installed capacity investment cost (a.k.a. rated or nameplate capacity) in US$\/MW, that is, in dollars per unit of power which is not an electricity cost.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0wp7234491.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0wp7234491.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0wp7234491.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0wp7234491.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0wp7234491.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":353361,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=353361","url_meta":{"origin":302312,"position":3},"title":"UK Funds UN Crackdown on Climate\u00a0Dissent","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/06\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Britain is one of the main financial backers for this attempt to stifle debate about climate change","rel":"","context":"In \"Brazilian Government\"","block_context":{"text":"Brazilian Government","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=brazilian-government"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Five-Ways-Climate-Change-Impacts-Our-Health_1600X900-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Five-Ways-Climate-Change-Impacts-Our-Health_1600X900-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Five-Ways-Climate-Change-Impacts-Our-Health_1600X900-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Five-Ways-Climate-Change-Impacts-Our-Health_1600X900-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Five-Ways-Climate-Change-Impacts-Our-Health_1600X900-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":412362,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=412362","url_meta":{"origin":302312,"position":4},"title":"Who will Pay for President Lula da Silva\u2019s COP30 Rainforest Fund?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThat consensus has gone\u201d President Trump, who is not attending the meeting in the Amazonian city of Bel\u00e9m, was called a liar by the leaders of Colombia and Chile for his rejection of climate science.","rel":"","context":"In \"Amazonian city of Bel\u00e9m\"","block_context":{"text":"Amazonian city of Bel\u00e9m","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=amazonian-city-of-belem"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0545609643_792324673963566_7600438062870042504_n.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0545609643_792324673963566_7600438062870042504_n.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0545609643_792324673963566_7600438062870042504_n.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0545609643_792324673963566_7600438062870042504_n.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0545609643_792324673963566_7600438062870042504_n.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":413223,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=413223","url_meta":{"origin":302312,"position":5},"title":"COP30: The climate empire strikes back","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/14\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Wednesday afternoon at the COP30 Climate Summit, the United Nations declared war on free speech and scientific inquiry.","rel":"","context":"In \"alarming climate narrative\"","block_context":{"text":"alarming climate narrative","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=alarming-climate-narrative"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMf-Cz6UecSFIY5NCXwnmAcjIcu46_fJOV5dUbl7xAk3KhoVKn6ycU7pU7O9JmD6_oBqYtzWCwA4YcdDztLHubmU83PfyctnTUj-bUnNId2zchQb9wKbyTTQTfPhe0-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMf-Cz6UecSFIY5NCXwnmAcjIcu46_fJOV5dUbl7xAk3KhoVKn6ycU7pU7O9JmD6_oBqYtzWCwA4YcdDztLHubmU83PfyctnTUj-bUnNId2zchQb9wKbyTTQTfPhe0-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMf-Cz6UecSFIY5NCXwnmAcjIcu46_fJOV5dUbl7xAk3KhoVKn6ycU7pU7O9JmD6_oBqYtzWCwA4YcdDztLHubmU83PfyctnTUj-bUnNId2zchQb9wKbyTTQTfPhe0-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMf-Cz6UecSFIY5NCXwnmAcjIcu46_fJOV5dUbl7xAk3KhoVKn6ycU7pU7O9JmD6_oBqYtzWCwA4YcdDztLHubmU83PfyctnTUj-bUnNId2zchQb9wKbyTTQTfPhe0-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQMf-Cz6UecSFIY5NCXwnmAcjIcu46_fJOV5dUbl7xAk3KhoVKn6ycU7pU7O9JmD6_oBqYtzWCwA4YcdDztLHubmU83PfyctnTUj-bUnNId2zchQb9wKbyTTQTfPhe0-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=302312"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":302329,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302312\/revisions\/302329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/302328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=302312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=302312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=302312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}