Expect more wildfires — in Europe and beyond — as society grapples with warming climate

The frightening wildfires afflicting Europe during bouts of extreme heat this summer are a scourge the world will see more of in the future, scientists say.

That raises questions about what can be done to mitigate their impact as society grapples with the larger challenges of trying to limit the warming of the planet. Though there are steps to be taken to prevent harm to humans and habitat, the bottom line is what we're seeing in Europe will be an enduring challenge.

"What we are witnessing now is a preview of the world we are leaving to our kids," Víctor Resco de Dios, a professor of forestry at the University of Lleida in Spain, told CBC News via email.

There have been prior warnings that wildfires will become more intense and occur more often in decades to come. 

Recent reports from Europe — which has seen nearly 1,900 wildfires so far this year, almost four times the average from 2006 to 2021 — illustrate the threat such fires already pose.

In southwestern France earlier this week, beachgoers in Arcachon lounged near the Dune du Pilat, Europe's tallest sand dune, as smoke from wildfires billowed into the sky. Thousands were forced to leave nearby campsites on short notice.

Two wildfires in the wider Gironde region of France were reportedly contained by Thursday, though officials said they wouldn't be fully extinguished for weeks.

In neighbouring Spain, the recent spate of wildfires have claimed lives of a firefighter and a sheep farmer. Fires there have forced thousands to flee, though some have since returned home.

In Britain, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Tuesday  the city's firefighters had faced their busiest day since the Second World War, as a result of fires that broke out during the record-breaking heat wave.

The hot weather is just one aspect of why wildfires are plaguing Europe. High winds and drought also help propel fires through forests and to places where people are.

Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London, told The Associated Press some of these factors are particularly acute in southern Europe where summer wildfires are effectively "the new norm."

That's not to say the risk goes away as the seasons change.

"The fire season is lengthening globally," said the University of Lleida's Resco de Dios, pointing to recent fires that have struck Portugal in early July, ahead of the brunt of its typical fire season later in August.

Resco de Dios said seasonal fire risk depends a lot on the weather and how dry the landscape is. And that has implications for future wildfire risks as the world sees more frequent episodes of extreme weather.