{"id":394491,"date":"2025-08-11T20:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T18:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=394491"},"modified":"2025-08-11T20:00:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T18:00:46","slug":"check-the-data-france-24-climate-change-isnt-causing-worsening-wildfires-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=394491","title":{"rendered":"Check the Data, France 24, Climate Change Isn\u2019t Causing Worsening Wildfires in France"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"723\" data-attachment-id=\"394508\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=394508\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?fit=723%2C723&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=723%2C723&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Firefighters confronting a large wildfire with intense flames and smoke in a forested area.\" class=\"wp-image-394508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=450%2C450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?resize=550%2C550&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/climaterealism.com\/2025\/08\/check-the-data-france-24-climate-change-isnt-causing-worsening-wildfires-in-france\/\">ClimateRealism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/climaterealism.com\/author\/llueken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linnea Lueken<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"325\" data-attachment-id=\"394493\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=394493\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?fit=2048%2C922&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,922\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0,2048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?fit=723%2C325&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?resize=723%2C325&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A panoramic view of hills and valleys with smoke rising in the distance, indicating a possible wildfire.\" class=\"wp-image-394493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?resize=1024%2C461&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?resize=300%2C135&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?resize=768%2C346&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?resize=1536%2C692&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?resize=1200%2C540&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/02048px-11_Aude_Pradelles-Cabardes_pic_de_Nore_incendie_2025.jpg?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Wildfire smoke from Aude. Simon de l&#8217;Ouest, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A recent report by France 24, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/video\/20250806-failing-to-tackle-climate-change-will-mean-more-wildfires-ahead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Failing to tackle climate change will mean more wildfires ahead<\/a>,\u201d asserts both that the recent Aude wildfire was unprecedented and it resulted from human-caused climate change. This is false. Data show that neither wildfire numbers nor acreage lost are increasing, and this particular region of France is one which has seen severe wildfires throughout its history, including in the recent past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">France 24 interviewed Jean-Pascal van Yperselem, professor of climatology and environmental sciences from Louvain-la-Neuve, to discuss the Aude wildfire. He attributed the fires to climate change, saying that he believes \u201cit is once more a very strong signal that climate change is intensifying the conditions that make those very big fires and forest fires more likely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He goes on to list drought and extreme temperature as conditions that are worsening because of \u201chuman caused\u201d climate change. \u201cWe can only blame ourself,\u201d van Yperselem said. The France 24 story also cited recent wildfires in Spain and Greece as proof that climate change is making wildfires worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, it is simply false that wildfires are getting worse in the region. Data is available from Copernicus, a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency, tracking wildfire in France since 2002. Even if this year proves to be a higher-than-average year, there is no trend in increasing wildfires in France. (See figure below)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"437\" data-attachment-id=\"394496\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=394496\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-201.png?fit=728%2C440&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"728,440\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-201.png?fit=723%2C437&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-201.png?resize=723%2C437&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A bar and line graph showing the yearly burned area in hectares and the yearly number of wildfires in France from 2002 to 2023, highlighting fluctuations over the years.\" class=\"wp-image-394496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-201.png?w=728&amp;ssl=1 728w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-201.png?resize=300%2C181&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 1: Chart and data from Copernicus, accessed 8\/8\/25, here: <a href=\"https:\/\/gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu\/apps\/country.profile\/charts\/ba\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu\/apps\/country.profile\/charts\/ba<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This recent fire was not even the worst in French history. As&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.connexionfrance.com\/news\/biggest-wildfire-in-france-since-1949-massive-aude-blaze-rages-into-third-day\/738844\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">many other news sources<\/a>&nbsp;explain, while this year\u2019s fire in Aude burned more than 16,000 hectares, it is only the most damaging fire since one that burned over 50,000 hectares\u2026 in 1949. Seventy six years of global warming ago. It seems that reporters don\u2019t actually understand the definition of \u201cunprecedented,\u201d based on how often they improperly bandy it in climate reporting. Natural disasters which aren\u2019t unique in any way, also aren\u2019t unprecedented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the European Union in general, again there is no trend in fires. (See figure below)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"390\" data-attachment-id=\"394497\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=394497\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-202.png?fit=936%2C505&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"936,505\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-202.png?fit=723%2C390&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-202.png?resize=723%2C390&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Graph showing wildfires in the Mediterranean region, including Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, from 1980 to 2023, with data represented in hectares.\" class=\"wp-image-394497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-202.png?w=936&amp;ssl=1 936w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-202.png?resize=300%2C162&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-202.png?resize=768%2C414&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 2: Wildfire data from Copernicus and the EU, chart by Paul Homewood. <a href=\"https:\/\/notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com\/2024\/02\/13\/eu-wildfire-trends-2023\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com\/2024\/02\/13\/eu-wildfire-trends-2023\/<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ypersele does admit that there are a number of conditions that contribute to wildfires, including strong winds, but says the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said those conditions \u201cwould become more common with climate change\u201d but neglects to admit that the IPCC also says data show these conditions have not, in fact, become more common. As my colleague H. Sterling Burnett&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/climaterealism.com\/2025\/07\/check-your-facts-reuters-mediterranean-wildfires-arent-unusual-historically-no-reason-to-blame-climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained in another Climate Realism post<\/a>&nbsp;covering European wildfires,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipcc.ch\/report\/ar6\/wg1\/chapter\/chapter-12\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chapter 12 of the Sixth Assessment Report<\/a>&nbsp;states that there has been no observable change in wildfire, and doesn\u2019t expect to see any observable change for a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">France 24 and Ypersele got one thing right. To reduce the damage from wildfires when they occur, they France needs to improve how it fights fires and decrease the amount of dry shrubs that aid in the spread of fire. Taking proper mitigation measures can do far more to reduce the harm from wildfires, than any change in fire weather, which occurs seasonally in the Mediterranean region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a shame that France 24 didn\u2019t do some simple fact checking, using publicly available data, before writing a story that reinforces the false narrative that climate change is worsening wildfires. The press should be educating people about fire safety, without inaccurately blaming fossil fuel use for making wildfires worse. Fossil fuels can\u2019t be behind an increase in severe wildfires, if wildfires aren\u2019t becoming worse. Banning fossil fuels and other draconian climate policies will not stop wildfires from occurring in historically fire prone regions, but it will make it harder for people to live their daily lives, and make wildfire prevention and firefighting more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent report by France 24, \u201cFailing to tackle climate change will mean more wildfires ahead,\u201d asserts both that the recent Aude wildfire was unprecedented and it resulted from human-caused climate change. This is false. Data show that neither wildfire numbers nor acreage lost are increasing, and this particular region of France is one which has seen severe wildfires throughout its history, including in the recent past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":394508,"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":"Discover the truth about wildfires in France: data shows no increase linked to climate change as reported by France 24. Read more here.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Debunking Claims: Climate Change Isn't Worsening Wildfires","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":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":[691837197,691818056,691837195,691818087,691837196,691818913],"class_list":{"0":"post-394491","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-aude-wildfire","9":"tag-climate-change","10":"tag-france-24","11":"tag-global-warming","12":"tag-jean-pascal-van-yperselem","13":"tag-wildfires","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPD9_cjdf_PPtB60RwtNzcou5744DFY5SHFd5quEYwQMMMUvivW4m_arI5mBGYEsjmSOltD1PJsyml7pPv5omgS1_kYX4u1Naftv1PrSXklTsjxi1yaeeHeKcX2qPVUn_YHg9J0uwkx0y68q0KwWQV-V0xZtQ-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1ECL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":401747,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=401747","url_meta":{"origin":394491,"position":0},"title":"No, Al Jazeera, Climate Change Is Resulting in More Air Pollution from Wildfires","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/09\/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":413504,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=413504","url_meta":{"origin":394491,"position":1},"title":"SPACE.com Swallows Lies that Climate Change Is Making Wildfires Worse, It Isn\u2019t","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"16\/11\/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":408952,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=408952","url_meta":{"origin":394491,"position":2},"title":"Wildfires Below Average Last Year\u2013Met Office Says Global Warming Has Made Them\u00a0Worse!","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"18\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Met Office are no longer a serious, scientific organisation, but a political one:","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\/2025\/10\/AQMF2RC5Jjji6Dch8PzY9wqxn3ftNQ_aF3yvJAIvmBTDh4pwINZnWSYWX8C_NV-wmkmLV7wy9TQFYmjMP5g8qHYDqbddPY38n64DIGhAT3j8F8Yc1p1AUYClmitVw-HUn9hQhjugba7wX8OJVoy_xC9OjBKQ-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\/10\/AQMF2RC5Jjji6Dch8PzY9wqxn3ftNQ_aF3yvJAIvmBTDh4pwINZnWSYWX8C_NV-wmkmLV7wy9TQFYmjMP5g8qHYDqbddPY38n64DIGhAT3j8F8Yc1p1AUYClmitVw-HUn9hQhjugba7wX8OJVoy_xC9OjBKQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQMF2RC5Jjji6Dch8PzY9wqxn3ftNQ_aF3yvJAIvmBTDh4pwINZnWSYWX8C_NV-wmkmLV7wy9TQFYmjMP5g8qHYDqbddPY38n64DIGhAT3j8F8Yc1p1AUYClmitVw-HUn9hQhjugba7wX8OJVoy_xC9OjBKQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQMF2RC5Jjji6Dch8PzY9wqxn3ftNQ_aF3yvJAIvmBTDh4pwINZnWSYWX8C_NV-wmkmLV7wy9TQFYmjMP5g8qHYDqbddPY38n64DIGhAT3j8F8Yc1p1AUYClmitVw-HUn9hQhjugba7wX8OJVoy_xC9OjBKQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQMF2RC5Jjji6Dch8PzY9wqxn3ftNQ_aF3yvJAIvmBTDh4pwINZnWSYWX8C_NV-wmkmLV7wy9TQFYmjMP5g8qHYDqbddPY38n64DIGhAT3j8F8Yc1p1AUYClmitVw-HUn9hQhjugba7wX8OJVoy_xC9OjBKQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":409613,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=409613","url_meta":{"origin":394491,"position":3},"title":"Rain causes wildfires \u2013 the climate change gospel\u00a0","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"22\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Met Office is determined to convince us of the immediate need to cut greenhouse gas emissions. As part of its campaign, it is now reporting that the California wildfires in January were caused by severe heatwaves, droughts and, er, heavy rain. Yes, really.","rel":"","context":"In \"California fires\"","block_context":{"text":"California fires","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=california-fires"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQNyTT3Nr0m6_WOQQnJbCa0GFQKWqd_ymU6L9zc5QOIcFfITLCY-Qw7DrggTbDGJpi_UysGHG8TO9DHxXf04yj69trhkOq1YkRCm6EfWIzIhLRFDu8oEcA2FmsHNBOI.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQNyTT3Nr0m6_WOQQnJbCa0GFQKWqd_ymU6L9zc5QOIcFfITLCY-Qw7DrggTbDGJpi_UysGHG8TO9DHxXf04yj69trhkOq1YkRCm6EfWIzIhLRFDu8oEcA2FmsHNBOI.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQNyTT3Nr0m6_WOQQnJbCa0GFQKWqd_ymU6L9zc5QOIcFfITLCY-Qw7DrggTbDGJpi_UysGHG8TO9DHxXf04yj69trhkOq1YkRCm6EfWIzIhLRFDu8oEcA2FmsHNBOI.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQNyTT3Nr0m6_WOQQnJbCa0GFQKWqd_ymU6L9zc5QOIcFfITLCY-Qw7DrggTbDGJpi_UysGHG8TO9DHxXf04yj69trhkOq1YkRCm6EfWIzIhLRFDu8oEcA2FmsHNBOI.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":262119,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=262119","url_meta":{"origin":394491,"position":4},"title":"Wrong, Mainstream Media, Climate Change Didn\u2019t Cause Canadian Forest Fires or the Smoke in U.S. Cities","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/06\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, mainstream media outlets were abuzz with stories claiming that smoke from wildfires in Canada visibly polluting the skies in New York City, Washington, D.C., and many other cities in the northeastern United States was due to climate change. This is false.","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\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":255966,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=255966","url_meta":{"origin":394491,"position":5},"title":"No, AP, Climate Change Is Not Increasing Wildfires in Anchorage","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/05\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In fact, the increase in human population alone explains the increase in wildfires far better than climate change.","rel":"","context":"In \"Alaska\"","block_context":{"text":"Alaska","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=alaska"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00alaska-heat-wave-wildfires.jpg?fit=1024%2C538&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00alaska-heat-wave-wildfires.jpg?fit=1024%2C538&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00alaska-heat-wave-wildfires.jpg?fit=1024%2C538&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00alaska-heat-wave-wildfires.jpg?fit=1024%2C538&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394491","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=394491"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":394511,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394491\/revisions\/394511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/394508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=394491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=394491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=394491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}