Fires and drought

Updated: Mon, 12 Nov 2018

As wildfires worsen, firefighters go high-tech to stay healthy

Tech giant IBM is helping test and roll out a low-cost device to monitor health risks for firefighters, developed by volunteers in Spain, as the threat of wildfires grows worldwide

Wildfire-hit countries in need of new strategies to tame threat
"If this is the 'new normal', then tweaking well-established approaches to risk management of wildfires will not make any difference," says science advisor By Laurie Goering | Thu, 16 Jan 2020
analysis Burned by wildfire losses, insurance industry rethinks risks
Maintaining coverage as wildfires grow fiercer and more frequent will require lowering risks and finding new ways to fund policies for the most vulnerable, insurers say By Laurie Goering | Wed, 22 Jan 2020
analysis Scientists paint Australia fires as red alert on climate change
"The scale of this disaster is something I couldn't have imagined, and it's the same for a lot of people in Australia," says one climate scientist By Laurie Goering | Sat, 11 Jan 2020
Carbon emissions from Australian blazes near Amazon fire levels
"People are not grasping the carbon consequences," of such huge fires, says an Australian environmental scientist By Michael Taylor | Thu, 9 Jan 2020
Indigenous tribes fear hard year ahead after Amazon fires
With Brazil nut trees and medicinal herbs lost to Amazon fires, indigenous communities say they face serious setbacks By Fabio Teixeira | Wed, 4 Sep 2019
Indonesia ramps up community fire brigades as forests burn
Thousands of farmers have been trained to fight fires in a project aimed at saving tropical forests and carbon-rich peatlands in Indonesia By Michael Taylor | Tue, 3 Dec 2019
Children struggle to breathe as smoke chokes Amazon city
At Porto Velho health centres, lines of concerned parents waiting to get treatment for their children have lengthened as Amazon fires escalated By Fabio Teixeira | Mon, 2 Sep 2019
Mental health at risk as California wildfire threat grows
"This whole county has PTSD, depression. Everybody could use some counseling," says one survivor of California's Paradise wildfire By Ellen Wulfhorst | Wed, 20 Nov 2019
Wildfire threat darkens California dream, residents say
As more powerful wildfires threaten more people, the Golden State may be losing its shine, some residents say By Ellen Wulfhorst | Thu, 14 Nov 2019
Climate-fueled US wildfires take toll on those who fight them
"You have 200 homes destroyed. Five years ago, that would have been crazy. Losing 200 now was a win. It was a victory that no one died," says one firefighter By Ellen Wulfhorst | Fri, 8 Nov 2019
As wildfires worsen, Californians harness tech for help
To better protect themselves from wildfires worsened by climate change, communities are pulling together to share information By Ellen Wulfhorst | Mon, 11 Nov 2019
Spanish coders harness tech to track health risks for firefighters
A device that can monitor health threats to firefighters in real-time has received an award from IBM that will help roll it out more widely By Megan Rowling | Tue, 15 Oct 2019
Hit by wildfires and heat, Tunisia's youth join climate protests
Firsthand experience with surging climate risks are fueling an emerging youth protest movement in Tunisia By Layli Foroudi | Wed, 2 Oct 2019
Extreme 'devil winds' may worsen deadly California fires
Governor Jerry Brown has asked the U.S. president to declare a major disaster to bolster the emergency response By Reuters | Sun, 11 Nov 2018
Zimbabwe's farmers feel the heat of fires - and of price hikes
An extended dry season, wildfires and a lack of foreign currency suggest Zimbabwe's farmers face a tough growing season ahead By Marko Phiri | Tue, 30 Oct 2018
Fight fires with indigenous knowledge, researchers say
"Small controlled burns can reduce the impact and threat of catastrophic wildfires" By Isabelle Gerretsen | Mon, 13 Aug 2018
As far-north temperatures rise, Alaska tundra fires proliferate
Although tundra fires have burned in Alaska in the past, their frequency is increasing as temperatures rise, scientists say By Reuters | Sat, 22 Jun 2019
Wildfire fix will take 'a period of years' to protect U.S. forests
A $1.3-trillion bill signed by President Donald Trump set up a contingency account to fund wildfire fighting and has drawn praise but also some concern By Gregory Scruggs | Mon, 26 Mar 2018
LA makes plans for sudden shocks, long-term calamity
The U.S. city faces risks including earthquakes, wildfires and rising heat, alongside bustling urban demands for energy By Ellen Wulfhorst | Fri, 2 Mar 2018
Forest fires stoke record loss in world tree cover
Global tree cover losses rose 51 percent in 2016 By Reuters | Mon, 23 Oct 2017
As Europe scorches, goats fight wildfires one bite at a time
Can turning grazers loose in southern Europe's forests help fight devastating wildfires? By Lin Taylor | Wed, 20 Sep 2017
Cartoons and calendars help Bolivian farmers dampen fire risk
Following a spate of wildfires in Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile, experts are calling for a greater focus on fire education and early warning By Sophie Hares | Mon, 20 Feb 2017
Tinder-dry Zimbabwe seeks jail terms for arsonists
With fires causing huge damage, bigger penalties are needed to dissuade those setting them, officials say By Busani Bafana | Mon, 6 Jun 2016
Anger flares as wildfire-hit Canadian city struggles to rebuild
Anger over red tape and the slow pace of insurance payouts and permit issuance flares in remote northern city By Reuters | Tue, 18 Oct 2016