Forest fires will “constitute a significant threat in the south of France”, analyzes a climatologist

For Aurélien Ribes, climatologist, global warming plays a major role in the multiplication of forest fires. In addition,

“Fire will constitute a significant threat in the south of France”. Nevertheless, Analysis Sunday August 17 on Franceinfo The climatologist Aurélien Ribes, researcher at the CNRM-Game. “It will extend to other French regions less used to this type of claims, such as the North”he specifies. According to forest fires will “constitute significant him. “Climate warming plays an important role in increasing the risks of major fires such as those that are observed this year and has been observed above in other countries and other regions of the world”.

The climatologist argues that “Climate change plays in several respects, starting with temperature. Spain is currently undergoing a completely remarkable heat wave, in duration and intensity, with temperatures that exceed 45 ° C. The south of France has been affected by this same event. It also plays on the increase in evaporation. evapotranspiration of plants and vegetation in general, which pump the more quickly with a higher water. Ultimately translates into a lesser availability of water on the surface, and therefore drier vegetation in periods of hot weather.

Aurélien Ribes adds that at certain occasions. “come to add up Strong winds, which are not necessarily stronger due to climate change “. This was forest fires will “constitute significant notably the case in Greece this year. “We know the current climatic trends: we know that the planetary greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. which means that warming continues to intensify, to increase. In connection with this warming. the risks of fires, the risks of meeting very high temperatures simultaneously, humidity in very bass and very dry vegetation increases for each issuing “explains the researcher.

According to him, we need “Be aware of this evolution and try to anticipate it, to adapt to it”. “We are at 1.9 ° C of warming of anthropogenic origin in France, a warming which increases by around 0.4 ° C per decade. We observe a multiplication of overruns of the 40 ° C threshold in France. thresholds very rarely reached in the 20th century but which were in Spain for example. We therefore already have part of the conditions that are closer to those forest fires will “constitute significant we observe Pyrenees “, he alerts.

To alleviate the phenomenon. “A number of methods” exist, but the priority he says is “Decrease the emission of greenhouse gases” by means of several activated levers, in particular “The decarbonation of energy. If we do not succeed. that’s what is already going on and what will continue to happen”is alarmed the climatologist.