Europe wildfires: Are they linked to climate change?–NO!!!
By Paul Homewood
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/58159451
The BBC would like you to think so, with statements like these:
So far this year, the amount of land burnt by fires across the European Union is more than three times greater than what you would expect by the middle of July.
Almost 346,000 hectares (1,370 sq miles) of land have been recorded as burnt (as of 16 July), according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
Much of Western Europe has been hit by a record-breaking heatwave, which substantially increases the risk of fires….
"Heatwaves and droughts are exacerbated by climate change and are absolutely the defining factor in years with massive wildfire outbreaks, like the present one," Dr Jones says….
"But we definitely see trends in fire weather risk because of climate change.
"The risk is higher in the Mediterranean region than the rest of Europe."
Studies show increasing fire risk for central and southern regions of Europe over the past couple of decades.
Yet tucked away in the same article is this graph which proves all of these have no basis in fact:
In the last two decades, there has been no trend at all in wildfire acreage, in the Med region at least, which is the BBC’s focus. Some years are high and some low, but there is no global warming signal.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Well of course there isn’t! Why does the unfit for purpose public broadcaster continue to spew out this endless flow of rubbish?
Because the BBC know the great majority of their listeners and viewers are scientifically illiterate so they can spew out all this garbage to fulfil their virtue signallling charter
Because you pay the licence fee.
In Gironde, SW France there have been fires, one took sometime to put out.
What has been almost completely ignored, here in France as well as elsewhere, is that the Police quickly identified it as arson. They arrested the culprit, a fireman. Apparently he was having problems at home and did it so he could be busy putting the fire out. I kid you not.
Indeed. It is well known that many wildfires are caused by people, either accidentally or intentionally…arson. Global climate has nothing to do with it.
Disposable barbecues are the current favourite.
1,370sq miles have been burnt in the E.U. Put like that it seems a big number, however I wonder what it would be as a percentage of the total area of the E.U.
Also I can remember holidays in various parts of the Med. in the early 1990’s and often seeing smoke from wildfires and fire fighting planes flying overhead.
Like most BBC stories on the “effects of climate change” this is a case of move along now, nothing unusual to see here.
Am I alone in finding a lot of these (NALOPKT) posts going into “spam”?
No trouble on mine.
Make sure it’s on your white list.
Thank you. Probably my fault but I have a suspicious mind….
You’re right to be suspicious – but I don’t have any problems on my emails either.
Thank you. I’ll keep watch.
To repeat, is that true, or did you hear it from the BBC ?
The BBC reported in 2019 – replete with a series of satellite data graphics – that forest fires are not unprecedented and have in fact been ‘worse in the past “….For Brazil , the Amazon , the Russian Far East , Indonesia and Central Africa the number of fires and burned acreage is either declining or show no trend ……Put them all up Paul juxtaposed with the Mediterranean region burned area graph …
” Forest fires : Are they worse than in previous years ? ” – BBC News https://bbc.com/news/world-49515462
.The ABC in my home country quite predictably, has not reported this series of fire satellite data charts
That page is now “unavailable”.
No it is not AC Osborn ………Nice try though …..The respective satellite data graphs are still accessible
It’s very much available here.
As usual the BBC tell the truth but not the whole truth… and they know that a few years on, like in politics, that no one will be interested in inaccuracies.
My favorite is the issue of new houses built on flood plains with no flood defences and uninsureable, when damaged, the cause will be attributed to climate change rather than bad planning.
Betteridge’s law: “Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.”
The article is tagged “Climate change.”
‘”Heatwaves and droughts are exacerbated by climate change and are absolutely the defining factor in years with massive wildfire outbreaks, like the present one,” Dr Jones says.’
Swooping claim. Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. Oh, he doesn’t give ANY evidence. Begging the question fallacy.
‘There also needs to be better water management to tackle drought conditions, according to some experts.’
Gamecock can translate: “We need to put government in charge of water supplies.”
Heck, throw in food and energy, too. You know you want it.
BBC in climate FUD-land again.
https://www.howtogeek.com/782938/what-does-fud-mean/
Given the extent of rural depopulation and consequent re-afforestation it’s remarkable that the fire graphic shows little change.
No mention of ignition sources? Wood grass and paper do not auto ignite at temperatures as low as reported. In excess of 100 deg C in needed. In Spain several large fires have been intentionally started Natural sources of ignition? Lightening? All others are probably man made? Think on the triangle of fire. Combustible material oxygen and an ignition source?
Try this:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/arson-arrests-disposable-barbecue-fire-woodland-175737715.html
Classic misuse of “average”.
“What we’d expect” is the average, but of course that’s a complete misunderstanding of average.
Meanwhile, the French press is full of stories of arson, like this one:
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2022/08/07/french-ex-firefighter-detained-over-starting-wildfires_5992757_7.html#:~:text=The%2033%2Dyear%2Dold%20admitted,responsibility%2C%20claiming%20he%20was%20drunk.
We must complain about this “what we would expect” line. It’s either ignorance or deliberate disinformation. What we would expect is somewhere within what has previously happened. That seems to be what we have.
Lets talk about the Mediterranean Sclerophyll Forest Formation. I learned about this in my first ecology class when an undergraduate at WVU in 1965. It occurs as basically a ring around the Mediterranean and coastal areas of Australia and coastal California where it is knows as “Chaparral” .
This Sclerophyll plant formation consists to shrubby and small tree species which have thick coriaceous leaves oriented parallel or oblique to direct sunlight. All of this adapts the species for long periods of dryness and heat. They also contain a number of resins.
As a result of these adaptations, the areas are fire-prone with the woody leaves and resins. They are actually maintained by frequent flash fires which burn above ground rapidly but do not kill the roots. They re-sprout rapidly. However, other species are killed by the fires and thus do not compete w/ the sclerophyll species.
The wizards in California would not allow the clearing of brush or the use of the frequent local flash fires to do that job. Therefore, when fires hit, they do major damage to forest and homes due to the build-up of fuel on the forest floor.
Thank you for that information
You are welcome. I enjoy bring able to use my education to equip people with facts when talking to those who just listen to talking heads. Although I wrote from memory, I did look up “Mediterranean Sclerophyll Forest” on the internet to confirm and was amazed at the amount of information about it. It was easier than going upstairs to get that college ecology book. Should you want further information…..it is there and easy to find.