Wildfire risk management under climate change

Abstract

Communities worldwide have long experienced fires, including wildfires, and see them as a 'normal' part of life. However, this is changing as previously low-risk areas are increasingly exposed and already at-risk areas find that fires are becoming much more frequent and severe, causing damage to lives, livelihoods and assets. The Australian fires of 2019/20 - dubbed 'Black Summer - are illustrative of these trends and what can be expected with further climate change: the fires lasted for months and posed a systemic threat to the nation, causing extensive damage and major impacts across regional economies and ecosystems. They also generated extreme air pollution. While climate change is a major driver of increasing wildfire risk, it is important to also consider other factors like low density suburban spread into the wildland-urban interface and issues around fuel management. Wildfire risk reduction involves a mix of land use planning, fuel reduction and asset protection, among other strategies. The field arguably needs transformative approaches, but at present these seem absent. This chapter examines these issues and suggests how more effective risk reduction could be achieved.