Global heating made the hot, dry and windy conditions that fuelled deadly wildfires in Chile and Argentina about three times more likely, according to a new analysis by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium. The fires, which broke out in January, left 23 people dead in Chile and devastated forests in Argentina, including the Unesco-listed Los Alerces national park in Patagonia, home to ancient alerce trees that can live for more than 3,000 years.
In Chile, the regions of Biobío and Ñuble were declared in a “state of catastrophe” in mid-January after wildfires destroyed more than 1,000 homes and forced 52,000 people to flee. Temperatures exceeded 37C, and strong winds drove the flames. The scientists found that human-caused carbon emissions have led to significantly drier summers, with rainfall now 25% lower in early summer in Chile and 20% lower in the affected area of Patagonia.
In Argentina, the damage was worsened by large budget cuts to fire management services by the government of President Javier Milei, who has called the climate crisis a “socialist lie”. Dr Juan Antonio Rivera of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council in Mendoza said: “Ancient forests were devastated, as was the unique biodiversity in the area. These are ancient giants that have stood undisturbed for thousands of years.”
Dr Clair Barnes of Imperial College London added: “Our analysis shows a clear and dangerous fingerprint of climate change on these fires. By burning fossil fuels, we have essentially loaded the dice, making the conditions for these devastating blazes more likely.” The study used peer-reviewed methods and data from weather records and climate models.
The situation in Chile was exacerbated by non-native tree plantations that are more flammable than native trees and are located next to settlements, as seen in the 2024 Valparaíso fires that killed at least 131 people. The scientists warned that the supercharging of extreme weather will continue until humanity stops burning fossil fuels.
