Climate Change, Landscape Fires, and Human Health: A Global Perspective

Abstract

Landscape fires are an integral component of the Earth system and a feature of prehistoric, subsistence, and industrial economies. Specific spatiotemporal patterns of landscape fire occur in different locations around the world, shaped by the interactions between environmental and human drivers of fire activity. Seven distinct types of landscape fire emerge from these interactions: remote area fires, wildfire disasters, savanna fires, Indigenous burning, prescribed burning, agricultural burning, and deforestation fires. All can have substantial impacts on human health and well-being directly and indirectly through ( a) exposure to heat flux (e.g., injuries and destructive impacts), ( b) emissions (e.g., smoke-related health impacts), and ( c) altered ecosystem functioning (e.g., biodiversity, amenity, water quality, and climate impacts). Minimizing the adverse effects of landscape fires on population health requires understanding how human and environmental influences on fire impacts can be modified through interventions targeted at individual, community, and regional levels. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 45 is April 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Climate Change and Human Health in the Arctic: A Review

“…Wildfires in the Arctic release significant quantities of black carbon and other aerosols, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other harmful pollutants into the atmosphere, accelerating Arctic warming, amplifying the effects of climate change and altering regional weather patterns, additionally leading to degraded air quality and respiratory health hazards for nearby communities [34]. Direct effects of wildfires on human health and well-being include exposure to heat flux, resulting in injuries and destructive outcomes; indirect impacts stem from emissions, leading to health issues related to smoke exposure, and alterations in ecosystem functioning, affecting biodiversity, amenities, water quality, and thawing permafrost [35][36][37].…”