Climate Change Causes Rise Of Western US Forest Fires, More Flooding In New York City

A study reveals that climate change has caused the increase of western U.S. forest fires for the last 30 years and more flooding in New York City. The researchers warn the public of further warming that could heighten the fires in the coming years.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the national Academy Sciences. The human-induced climate change has doubled the forest fires in the western United States during the past three decades. Another study made that was printed in the same journal indicates that New York city will have more flooding three times more likely to suffer another flood like the one caused by superstorm Sandy in 2012 over the next century, according to Christian Science Monitor.

Meanwhile, Park Williams, the bioclimatologist at Columbia University's Lamon-Doherty Earth Observatory and the co-author of the study said that no matter how hard they try, the fires are going to keep getting bigger and the reason is really clear. He further said that climate change is really running the show in terms of what burns. He advised the public to get ready for bigger fire year than those familiar to previous generations, as noted by Phys.Org.

John Abatzoglou, the lead author of the study explained that there have been a lot of inferences to climate change out there to some sort of calling these recent forest fire seasons the "new normal." He further explained that they wanted to try to quantify that, given that there is a lot of older things that could be going on. He added that the warmer temperature caused by climate change make the air drier. This draws moisture out of the plants, trees and dead vegetation that would more likely make them burn particularly during the dry season.

The researchers also reproached the government fire-suppression practices for storing up fire fuel instead of letting fires burn naturally. Abatzoglou also said that if climate change is not slowed and if the suppression practices are not changes the forest fires will get bigger in the coming decades.