The United States has the smallest amount of acreage burned since the turn of the century. Statistics compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) compared the data per year up to August 25 in the previous 23 years, and although there is a greater number of fires than at other times, the area affected is smaller.
So far this year, the country has had a total of 37,911 fires, which exceeds eight of the last ten years. However, the area affected by the fires is the smallest of the century at 1,848,103 acres.
𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩 US burned area in 2023 this century
Did you see that reported anywhere?
It compares total burned area 2023, Jan 1-Aug 24,
with total burned area, Jan 1-Aug 24, in all other years since 2000https://t.co/lIy6dDiIaThttps://t.co/nQsB2V3X2Shttps://t.co/gmOEjotm7J pic.twitter.com/NFwznDA02v
— Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) August 25, 2023
Author Bjorn Lomborg disseminated the information on social networks, obtaining the data from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), the agency coordinating wildfire suppression resources in the United States. Based in Boise, Idaho, the agency was initially founded to only cover the Western US, although it later decided to provide aid at the federal level.
The comparison is very shocking between this year and last, when as of August 25, there had been 21,616 fires, less than in 2023, but with a much more destructive impact geographically, affecting 6,101,221 acres. In this area, the year closest to current numbers is 2010, when 42,263 fires occurred, affecting 2,456,258 acres.
"Contrary to what you constantly hear in the media, the global fire of 2023 has so far burned less than normal. Yes, the Americas burned much more, but surely the media should also tell you that Africa and Europe burned much less," Lomborg added on his X account, formerly known as Twitter.
The fires in Hawaii
One hundred and fifteen people have died, and another 385 are missing due to the recent fires on the island of Maui. Firefighters and rescue teams are still working and removing debris in the area.
To determine the true cause of the fire, the state's federal prosecutor, Anne Lopez, announced that she would appoint an independent investigator. "This will be an impartial and independent review. Having a third party conduct the review will ensure accountability and transparency and reassure the people of Hawaii that all the facts will be uncovered. The information collected will be used to evaluate performance in emergency preparedness, as we are constantly looking for ways to improve," she wrote in a statement.
