Climate change made Indonesian fires more severe, scientists say
SINGAPORE — Wildfires that hit large parts of Indonesia from August to October and plunged much of Southeast Asia into hazardous smoke were made much worse by "record-breaking" heat caused by human-induced climate change, scientists said on Friday. While a very strong El Niño was the dominant factor in determining the extremely low levels of rainfall across Indonesia from July, human-induced…
Indonesian wildfires from August to October worsened by record-breaking heat from human-induced climate change, scientists claim. While a strong El Niño primarily caused the severe drought across the country in July, human-induced climate change added around 1.6 degrees Celsius of extra heat during the fire season, according to a World Weather Attribution report.
Researchers from Imperial College London, including Theodore Keeping, found that the extreme weather conditions leading to the fires would not have occurred without the influence of human-caused climate change, even with the strong El Niño event. Keeping emphasized that various factors contribute to the changing weather, but it is clear that the conditions leading to these fires are becoming more severe.
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