{"id":340890,"date":"2024-08-27T17:37:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T15:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=340890"},"modified":"2024-08-27T17:37:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T15:37:39","slug":"wrong-the-economist-wildfires-are-declining-not-getting-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=340890","title":{"rendered":"Wrong, The Economist, Wildfires Are Declining, Not Getting Worse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

From ClimateRealism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By H. Sterling Burnett<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Economist<\/em> ran a story, titled \u201cWildfires are getting more frequent and more devastating<\/a>.\u201d From the headline, which carries the subhead, \u201cClimate change is accelerating the blaze,\u201d to the story\u2019s conclusion, it is false. Data clearly show that even as the Earth has slightly warmed the frequency and severity of wildfires has declined dramatically, a fact even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a story attributed by The Economist<\/em> collectively to its \u201cStaff,\u201d the magazine writes, \u201c[w]ildfires are more than a powerful visual metaphor for climate change. Data show they are increasingly fuelled by the extreme conditions resulting from greenhouse-gas emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is flat out false. As Climate Realism<\/em><\/a> has pointed out in dozens of articles, data from NASA and the European Space Agency both show a significant decline in the number of and the amount of acreage lost to wildfires during the recent period of modest warming, as discussed in Climate at a Glance: Global Wildfires<\/a>. (See the figure, below)<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Figure 1: Total acreage burned by fires each year between 2003 and 2015. Trend line in red indicates a steady decline. Source: \u201cNASA detects drop in global fires,\u201d NASA website, June 29, 2017.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Rather than citing real world data to prove that wildfires are increasing, The Economist<\/em> goes through a litany of recent widely reported large wildfire incidences around the globe, and attributes them to climate change, without providing any evidence of such a connection. None of the wildfires they reference provide persuasive evidence climate change is exacerbating or enhancing wildfires \u2013 not their numbers or intensity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate Realism<\/em> provided evidence debunking the claim that climate change was responsible for the Australian brush fires mentioned by The Economist<\/em>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Economist<\/em>\u2019s assertion that climate change caused Canada\u2019s recent large wildfire was refuted at more than a year ago at Climate Realism<\/em> repeatedly, for instance, here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor, does evidence support claims that human CO2 emissions had anything to do with wildfires in recent years in California<\/a>, Greece<\/a>, or Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Economist <\/em>cites a single study from 2022 which said that climate change has caused an expansion in the global fire season. Yet, that supposed expansion is not reflected in the actual data on the frequency and acreage lost to wildfires. If the wildfire season has expanded, it would also evidently be news to the U.N. IPCC which, as discussed here<\/a>, found no evidence for an increase in wildfire weather in recent decades; nor did the IPCC project such an increase into the future in its most recent (6th<\/sup>) Assessment Report, which came out in 2023, a year after the 2022 report that The Economist<\/em> cites was published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, whatever the merits of The Economist<\/em> as a news magazine discussing the factors which impact the global economy and the businesses and government actions which affect economic growth or decline, based on this article, it lacks any credibility on the topic of climate science and the consequences of climate change. Its editors have foregone objectivity, failing to access easily gathered unalarming facts about wildfires, to promote the narrative that human fossil fuel use is causing a global climate crisis. As such, on climate change, The Economist<\/em> is doing its readers a disservice by misleading them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Economist ran a story, titled \u201cWildfires are getting more frequent and more devastating.\u201d From the headline, which carries the subhead, \u201cClimate change is accelerating the blaze,\u201d to the story\u2019s conclusion, it is false. Data clearly show that even as the Earth has slightly warmed the frequency and severity of wildfires has declined dramatically, a fact even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":340896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","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_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"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":[691818056,691819743,691818410,691818491,691830355,691818913],"class_list":{"0":"post-340890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-climate-propaganda","10":"tag-european-space-agency","11":"tag-nasa","12":"tag-the-economist","13":"tag-wildfires","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0-wild-fires.jpeg?fit=2048%2C1324&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1qGe","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":413504,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=413504","url_meta":{"origin":340890,"position":0},"title":"SPACE.com Swallows Lies that Climate Change Is Making Wildfires Worse, It Isn\u2019t","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/16\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"SPACE.com ran a story claiming that 2024\/2025\u2019s wildfires are proof that climate change is making wildfires larger and more severe. This is false. Ground based data, where available, and satellite data both show that wildfires have declined in number and acreage lost over the past century, even as the Earth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"2021 Sixth Assessment report\"","block_context":{"text":"2021 Sixth Assessment report","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=2021-sixth-assessment-report"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":400049,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=400049","url_meta":{"origin":340890,"position":1},"title":"Stop Promoting Attribution Studies, Associated Press, Europe\u2019s Wildfires Aren\u2019t Worsening","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/04\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Associated Press (AP), via ABC News, claims that climate change is responsible for the intensity of European wildfires in a story titled \u201cClimate change made deadly wildfires in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus more fierce, study finds.\u201d This is false. Data show no long-term trend of increasing wildfires in any\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"ABC News\"","block_context":{"text":"ABC News","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=abc-news"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQNLWjyzyIRjwRxNTTwUCKzV-jH2Wx1_cypEypPdW6K5e8Pt74kqyUEdP5mO2iwW6KNOKJKUiFuyc5dVy0dTObfYu50FivLLeZE_rco4C96GbggUwAg93k2vac1mBr1ldB9uFH4CJTBO6siuI2KHcepZPpM5-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQNLWjyzyIRjwRxNTTwUCKzV-jH2Wx1_cypEypPdW6K5e8Pt74kqyUEdP5mO2iwW6KNOKJKUiFuyc5dVy0dTObfYu50FivLLeZE_rco4C96GbggUwAg93k2vac1mBr1ldB9uFH4CJTBO6siuI2KHcepZPpM5-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQNLWjyzyIRjwRxNTTwUCKzV-jH2Wx1_cypEypPdW6K5e8Pt74kqyUEdP5mO2iwW6KNOKJKUiFuyc5dVy0dTObfYu50FivLLeZE_rco4C96GbggUwAg93k2vac1mBr1ldB9uFH4CJTBO6siuI2KHcepZPpM5-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQNLWjyzyIRjwRxNTTwUCKzV-jH2Wx1_cypEypPdW6K5e8Pt74kqyUEdP5mO2iwW6KNOKJKUiFuyc5dVy0dTObfYu50FivLLeZE_rco4C96GbggUwAg93k2vac1mBr1ldB9uFH4CJTBO6siuI2KHcepZPpM5-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQNLWjyzyIRjwRxNTTwUCKzV-jH2Wx1_cypEypPdW6K5e8Pt74kqyUEdP5mO2iwW6KNOKJKUiFuyc5dVy0dTObfYu50FivLLeZE_rco4C96GbggUwAg93k2vac1mBr1ldB9uFH4CJTBO6siuI2KHcepZPpM5-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":225057,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=225057","url_meta":{"origin":340890,"position":2},"title":"Sacramento Bee, Your Wildfire Emissions Story Misses Large Decline in Wildfires, Amid Modest Warming","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/21\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Climate change is not a significant factor.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-1023.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-1023.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-1023.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-1023.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-1023.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":401747,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=401747","url_meta":{"origin":340890,"position":3},"title":"No, Al Jazeera, Climate Change Is Resulting in More Air Pollution from Wildfires","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Al Jazeera posted an article titled \u201cClimate-change-driven wildfires increasing air pollution across globe: UN,\u201d which claims that wildfires are becoming more frequent due to climate change, and so air pollution from their smoke is as well. This is false and it\u2019s telling that they framed it the way they did.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Air Pollution\"","block_context":{"text":"Air Pollution","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=air-pollution"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQPFIYp_9mvA4Z8DZWaJayg-kfzOkAjldLQPG2AajXrW_U-0q-N7fkMkm9uJsQB3QHPyXM_CyBlSPnh9e1_edLhDnF1jH0sR8fvtTmCbIuS4mfMdB4N9XlwAJK-aNitIosO0HOJmsnITOnl9mUKi1iT6rNDp3A-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQPFIYp_9mvA4Z8DZWaJayg-kfzOkAjldLQPG2AajXrW_U-0q-N7fkMkm9uJsQB3QHPyXM_CyBlSPnh9e1_edLhDnF1jH0sR8fvtTmCbIuS4mfMdB4N9XlwAJK-aNitIosO0HOJmsnITOnl9mUKi1iT6rNDp3A-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQPFIYp_9mvA4Z8DZWaJayg-kfzOkAjldLQPG2AajXrW_U-0q-N7fkMkm9uJsQB3QHPyXM_CyBlSPnh9e1_edLhDnF1jH0sR8fvtTmCbIuS4mfMdB4N9XlwAJK-aNitIosO0HOJmsnITOnl9mUKi1iT6rNDp3A-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQPFIYp_9mvA4Z8DZWaJayg-kfzOkAjldLQPG2AajXrW_U-0q-N7fkMkm9uJsQB3QHPyXM_CyBlSPnh9e1_edLhDnF1jH0sR8fvtTmCbIuS4mfMdB4N9XlwAJK-aNitIosO0HOJmsnITOnl9mUKi1iT6rNDp3A-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQPFIYp_9mvA4Z8DZWaJayg-kfzOkAjldLQPG2AajXrW_U-0q-N7fkMkm9uJsQB3QHPyXM_CyBlSPnh9e1_edLhDnF1jH0sR8fvtTmCbIuS4mfMdB4N9XlwAJK-aNitIosO0HOJmsnITOnl9mUKi1iT6rNDp3A-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":261853,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=261853","url_meta":{"origin":340890,"position":4},"title":"You are being conned: Data, studies & UN IPCC all reveal Canadian fires not due to \u2018climate change\u2019 \u2013 \u2018There has been a significant & continuing decline in the number of fires\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The media and climate activists are again weaponizing wildfires and linking them to climate change. Better forest management, cracking down on arson, and improved fire impression practices are what is needed, not the Green New Deal.","rel":"","context":"In \"Canada\"","block_context":{"text":"Canada","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=canada"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/03000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/03000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/03000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/03000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/03000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":272027,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=272027","url_meta":{"origin":340890,"position":5},"title":"Right, Wall Street Journal, Wildfires Are Declining as Climate Changes","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Globally, the number and scope of wildfires have fallen sharply from earlier decades and centuries.","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\/08\/02048px-Woolsey_Fire_-_tree_ridge_in_flames_20181119-PB-008.jpg?fit=1200%2C741&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/02048px-Woolsey_Fire_-_tree_ridge_in_flames_20181119-PB-008.jpg?fit=1200%2C741&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/02048px-Woolsey_Fire_-_tree_ridge_in_flames_20181119-PB-008.jpg?fit=1200%2C741&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/02048px-Woolsey_Fire_-_tree_ridge_in_flames_20181119-PB-008.jpg?fit=1200%2C741&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/02048px-Woolsey_Fire_-_tree_ridge_in_flames_20181119-PB-008.jpg?fit=1200%2C741&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340890","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=340890"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":340897,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340890\/revisions\/340897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/340896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=340890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=340890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=340890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}