Scientists say Australia fires will be 'normal' in warmer world

UK researchers have carried out a rapid analysis of the impact of climate change on the risk of wildfires happening all over the world, Report says, citing the BBC.

Their study looked at 57 research papers published since the last major review of climate science came out in 2013.

Prof Richard Betts from the Met Office Hadley Centre said we are "seeing a sign of what would be normal conditions under a future warming world of 3C".

While natural weather patterns have driven recent fires, researchers say it's "common sense" that human-induced heating is playing a role.

Last year was Australia's warmest and driest year on record.

The signal of human-induced warming has become more evident in different parts of the world over time. A paper published last year suggests the impact of climate change could be detected outside the range of natural variability in 22% of the land that's available for burning.

"Overall, the 57 papers reviewed clearly show human-induced warming has already led to a global increase in the frequency and severity of fire weather, increasing the risks of wildfire," said Dr. Matthew Jones, from the University of East Anglia and the lead author of the review.

"This has been seen in many regions, including the western US and Canada, southern Europe, Scandinavia, and Amazonia. Human-induced warming is also increasing fire risks in other regions, including Siberia and Australia."