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Pyrotragedies – a critical retrospective on the wildfire situation in Europe during July 2018

Neff, Christophe ORCID iD icon 1
1 Institut für Geographie und Geoökologie (IFGG), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Abstract (englisch):

July 2018 saw catastrophic wildfires in Europe, causing widespread devastation and loss of life. This retrospective analyzes the key events, contributing factors, and responses to these disasters. The author, an expert in forest fires since 1992, attributes increased fire risks to climate change, rural abandonment, and "Californisation"—the intermixing of housing with inflammable forests. The tragic fire in Mati, Greece, exemplifies the dangers of living in such fire-prone areas. The article stresses the need for governments to learn from past "pyrotragedies" and highlights France's effective forest fire defense system, the DFCI. However, climate change is challenging its efficacy. The author argues that addressing forest fires requires societal changes and effective communication of risks to residents. Climate change is expected to exacerbate fire risks in Mediterranean and Central European regions.


Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Institut für Geographie und Geoökologie (IFGG)
Publikationstyp Wissenschaftskommunikation im Internet
Publikationsdatum 07.08.2018
Sprache Englisch
Identifikator KITopen-ID: 1000183394
Bemerkung zur Veröffentlichung Aus dem Blog "Paysages: paysages et livres – Landschaften und Bücher – Landscapes and Books"
Schlagwörter Wildfires, Europe, July 2018, climate change, Californisation, pyrotragedies, forest fire defense, DFCI, fire risks, societal changes, , forst fire
URL https://cneffpaysages.blog/2018/08/07/pyrotragedies-a-critical-retrospective-on-the-wildfire-situation-in-europe-during-july-2018/
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