One glimpse at the August 2024 wildfire incident map of Western North America and one might have thought half the continent was on fire, demonstrating the need to confront the wildfire crisis. Oregon had declared a statewide wildfire state of emergency through September. California was grappling with the Park Fire, the fourth largest in the state’s history. New Mexico was recovering from flash floods exacerbated by the South Fork and Salt fires. The National Interagency Fire Center was reporting 85 large wildfires requiring active management, with nearly 30,000 wildland firefighters and support staff deployed, and evacuation orders in place for 20 fires, further showing the importance of confronting the wildfire crisis. Meanwhile, Canada dealt with the incineration of the scenic and popular tourist town of Jasper and the evacuation of Saddle Hills County in Alberta, also requiring emergency measures to sustain incident operations including needing to mobilize international support through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Fire services worldwide are increasingly engaged in protecting communities and natural resources, in geographies as diverse as North America, Chile, Siberia, Greece, Australia, and South Africa.

The 2024 fires in Western North America are not an anomaly; rather they reflect a global trend, showing the need for a cross-sector approach for confronting the wildfire crisis. The science is consistent and clear: Extreme wildfires have more than doubled in both frequency and magnitude over the past two decades, and this trend is expected to continue. Fires are a natural phenomenon across biomes, affecting just about every continent. However, in the context of unfolding climate change trends, including extreme heat and wind conditions, the risk of wildfire impacts is drastically increasing. Extreme wildfire impacts now span geopolitical boundaries, affecting diverse communities and ecosystems each year, demonstrating the need to confront the wildfire crisis. Fires can burn wherever fuel is available, without regard for a community’s resources, politics, or development. While the challenge is complex, it is also unifying. We share the burden of catastrophic wildfires, and the potentially irreversible consequences they can cause.

The urgency is high, as extreme wildfires could increase by up to 30 percent by 2050 and 50 percent by 2100. In Western North America, as we grapple with the consequences of a century of policy and practice suppressing natural fire regimes and disturbing ecosystem function, and the removal of Indigenous land stewardship, we have to recognize and come to terms with the ways we have contributed to this crisis and how we can confront the wildfire crisis. Yet, with aligned goals and coordinated action, the wildfire crisis is still a manageable challenge—if, that is, we can shift from outdated methods and legacy mindsets.

Read the full article about confronting the wildfire crisis at Stanford Social Innovation Review.