The world is waiting for Armageddon; fires from January to April

Fires between January and April have already caused unprecedented damage, burning more than 150 million hectares (370.66 million acres) of land, which is 20% more than the previous record, according to a report by a research group studying the role of global warming in extreme weather events, Reuters reports.

Researchers warn that temperature records could be broken this summer, leading to widespread drought and wildfires, with climate change driven by human activity being intensified by the particularly strong effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

“While the global fire season has not yet fully begun in many parts of the world, this rapid start, combined with the El Niño forecast, means we are facing a particularly difficult year,” said Theodore Kipping, a wildfire expert at Imperial College London and a member of the research group. He added that around 85 million hectares of land have burned in Africa this year, 23% more than the previous record of 69 million hectares.

“The unusually high fire activity in Africa is caused by a rapid shift from extremely wet to extremely dry weather conditions,” Kipping said, warning that wildfire risks could worsen later this year, with El Niño increasing the likelihood of severe heat and drought in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the Amazon rainforest.