Canada on fire
This year is shaping up to be the worst fire season for Canada yet. This dramatic graph tells the story: That's an astonishingly large early start; so far 2021 has us beat in terms of area burned, but it's only just the start of June! What's going on? Obviously climate change is making Canada warmer, which is extending the fire season on either end. Climate change is also expected to increase lightning strikes, which account for about half of the fires started in Canada, so that's a factor too. Any one given year will have its ups and downs, but the overall trend is towards more area burned each year. This year has been remarkably hot (the ocean hit a new all-time record for HOTTEST EVER this April), and we've also got a developing El Nino on our hands, which will make the western half of the country hotter and dryer. Here's the chart showing the general trend in area burned so far: And here's how it's expected to play out in future (reality like...