Blog Posts: wildfires

Dan Lashof, Director of WRI United States, reflects on the wildfires in the Western United States — and why now is the time for national action on climate change.

Increased global emissions lead to higher temperatures and more fire-prone conditions. With more fires comes more emissions, fueling rapid climate change.

The world lost over 9 million acres of tropical primary forests last year, about the same as the year before. Does this mean we're stuck with this unacceptably high level of forest destruction? Not necessarily.

Wildfires are a natural part of the ecology of colder, boreal forests. The problem is we're starting to see signs of fires burning outside their normal patterns.

Australia’s bush fires are the worst in the country’s recorded history. Data on Global Forest Watch Fires sheds light on potential impacts to biodiversity and forest ecosystems.

When fires across Brazil captured the world's attention in August, a ban on setting fires was put in place. Fire alerts in the Amazon dropped 34% between August and September. Now the ban is ending.

According to data displayed on Global Forest Watch Fires, there have been 66,000 fire alerts in Indonesia from January through the end of September. While this is much lower than fire levels in 2015 — which saw more than 110,000 alerts at the end of September — it far exceeds levels in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The thousands of fires burning in the Brazilian Amazon got global attention this week, both in the media and online, where the hashtag #prayforamazonia earned more than 150,000 mentions in one day. But what can satellite data tell us about what is really happening in Brazil’s forests?

Indonesia is one of the only countries actually reducing its deforestation rates. But with the annual fires season beginning and El Niño promising fire-prone conditions, the country’s forest protection policies will be put to the test.

Over 150,000 chartered financial analysts, including portfolio managers and research analysts at investment management firms, have received new guidance on how to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies into their work, marking a significant step towards the mainstream for sustainable investing.