A new study shows that the extreme wildfires that have consumed millions of hectares this year have become twice as likely due to human influence on the climate, with scientists warning that adaptation alone is not enough.
Human-induced climate change has doubled the likelihood of the extreme wildfires currently ravaging Canada, according to a new study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group published on August 6, 2026. More than 3.8 million hectares have already burned in the country, an area slightly smaller than Switzerland, and thousands of people have been evacuated while millions are exposed to hazardous smoke.
Although the fire season began with below-average activity, hot and dry weather during July fueled the rapid spread of fires across the country, particularly affecting Ontario and the Northwest Territories. According to WWA researchers' observations, such a fire season is "no longer rare in today's climate, expected to occur once every 2-6 years in the Northwest Territories and every 6-15 years in Ontario." In a world without climate change, such an event would occur roughly once every 40 years.
To confirm the role of climate change, WWA scientists used models to compare current conditions with those in a world without the 1.4°C temperature rise since the pre-industrial era. Focusing on the seven-day and thirty-day periods with the most extreme "fire weather" in the affected areas, they found that climate change made these events twice as likely.
"Since 2023, the wildfires we have seen in Canada have been fundamentally different in scale and intensity," said study lead Theodore Keeping, a researcher at Imperial College London. "The rapid spread of these fires is frightening and shows that, despite the preparedness of authorities responsible for wildfire management, adaptation alone is not enough."
Human-induced climate change is increasingly creating conditions for more frequent and intense wildfires through increased heat, prolonged droughts, and a "thirstier" atmosphere that enhances the drying of organic matter. This creates a vicious cycle: more numerous fires release vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, further accelerating global warming.
In his statement to Daily Sabah, Keeping emphasized the urgency of action: "We must move away from fossil fuels quickly to avoid these events becoming an even greater reality."
