Hostname: page-component-669899f699-chc8l Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-25T06:23:38.314Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Global Health Impacts of Wildfire Disasters From 2000 to 2023: A Comprehensive Analysis of Mortality and Injuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2024

Zakaria A. Mani Open the ORCID record for Zakaria A. Mani [Opens in a new window] ,
Amir Khorram-Manesh Open the ORCID record for Amir Khorram-Manesh [Opens in a new window]  and
Krzysztof Goniewicz Open the ORCID record for Krzysztof Goniewicz [Opens in a new window]
Zakaria A. Mani*
Affiliation:
Nursing College, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
Amir Khorram-Manesh
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Goteborg, Sweden Center for Disaster Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Gothenburg Emergency Medicine Research Group (GEMREG), Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden
Krzysztof Goniewicz*
Affiliation:
Department of Security, Polish Air Force University, Deblin, Poland
*
Corresponding author: Zakaria A. Mani and Krzysztof Goniewicz; Emails: [email protected]; Email: [email protected]
Corresponding author: Zakaria A. Mani and Krzysztof Goniewicz; Emails: [email protected]; Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Wildfires have escalated into a global threat with profound impacts on health, society, and the environment. The increasing frequency and intensity of these disasters, influenced by climate change and urban expansion, necessitate a comprehensive understanding of their direct health consequences.

Methods

This study conducted a retrospective analysis of global wildfire disasters from January 2000 to December 2023, utilizing data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT). The analysis focused on the direct health outcomes—mortalities and injuries—excluding indirect effects such as smoke inhalation. Data were meticulously cleaned, categorized, and analyzed using quantitative methods, with statistical tests employed to validate the findings.

Results

The study identified 309 significant wildfire disasters, with forest fires accounting for 80% of these events. These incidents resulted in 1890 fatalities and 14 360 injuries, with the highest tolls observed in Southern Europe, Northern America, and the Australia-New Zealand region. A notable rise in wildfire incidents was observed over the study period, underscoring the critical intersections between climate change, urban expansion, and wildfire risks. The analysis highlighted significant geographical and temporal patterns, emphasizing the regions and factors contributing to heightened wildfire vulnerability.

Conclusions

The findings underscore the urgent need for robust disaster preparedness and effective mitigation strategies. Integrating advanced early warning systems and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into wildfire management practices is essential. The study calls for proactive public health measures and interdisciplinary approaches to address the multifaceted challenges posed by wildfires. Continuous research and policy formulation are crucial to protect vulnerable communities and mitigate the increasing threat of wildfires globally.

Keywords

wildfirespublic healthmortalitymorbidityforest firesdisaster preparednessclimate changeurban expansionglobal impacthealth burden
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 18 , 2024 , e230
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

To, P, Eboreime, E, Agyapong, VI. The impact of wildfires on mental health: a scoping review. Behav Sci. 2021;11(9):126.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seneviratne, SI, Nicholls, N, Easterling, D, et al. Changes in Climate Extremes and their Impacts on the Natural Physical Environment. In: Field, CB, Barros, V, Stocker, TF, Dahe, Q, eds. Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation: Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press; 2012:109–230.Google Scholar
Williams, P, Abatzoglou, JT. The impact of anthropogenic climate change on wildfire across western US forests. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016;113(42):11770–11775.Google Scholar
Martinuzzi, S, Stewart, SI, Helmers, DP, et al. The 2010 wildland-urban interface of the conterminous United States-geospatial data. United States Research Map NRS-8. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station; 2015, 124.Google Scholar
Palinkas, LA. Global Climate Change, Population Displacement, and Public Health. Springer; 2020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liao, Y and Kousky, C. The fiscal impacts of wildfires on California municipalities. J Assoc Environ Resour Econ. 2022;9(3):455–493.Google Scholar
Borchers Arriagada, N, Bowman, DM, Palmer, AJ, et al. Climate change, wildfires, heatwaves and health impacts in Australia. In: Extreme Weather Events and Human Health: International Case Studies. 2020:99–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mani, ZA, Goniewicz, K. Adapting disaster preparedness strategies to changing climate patterns in Saudi Arabia: a rapid review. Sustainability. 2023;15(19):14279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skinner, R, Luther, M, Hertelendy, AJ, et al. A literature review on the impact of wildfires on emergency departments: enhancing disaster preparedness. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2022 37(5):657–664. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X22001054CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gao, C, Feng, Y, Tong, X, et al. Modeling urban encroachment on ecological land using cellular automata and cross-entropy optimization rules. Sci Total Environ. 2020;744:140996.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowan, OS, Anderson, PM. Litter decomposition variation across a degradation gradient and two seasons in a critically endangered vegetation type within the Fynbos biome, South Africa. S Afr J Bot. 2019;121:200–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, E, Kwon, YJ. Analyzing indirect economic impacts of wildfire damages on regional economies. Risk Anal. 2023;43: 2631–2643. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maria, SF. Climate change, natural disasters and the spillover effects on unpaid care. In: Feminist Political Ecology and the Economics of Care: In Search of Economic Alternatives. Routledge; 2018:70.Google Scholar
Bauman, MJ, Yuan, J, Williams, HA. Developing a measure for assessing tourists’ empathy towards natural disasters in the context of wine tourism and the 2017 California wildfires. Curr Issues in Tourism. 2020;23(19):2476–2491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Incropera, FP. Climate Change: A Wicked Problem: Complexity and Uncertainty at the Intersection of Science, Economics, Politics, and Human Behavior. Cambridge University Press; 2016.Google Scholar
Mistry, J, Schmidt, IB, Eloy, L, et al. New perspectives in fire management in South American savannas: the importance of intercultural governance. Ambio. 2019;48:172–179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pontes-Lopes, A, Silva, CV, Barlow, J, et al. Drought-driven wildfire impacts on structure and dynamics in a wet Central Amazonian forest. Proc Roy Soc B. 2021;288(1951):20210094.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinne, FN. Impacts of disasters on forests, in particular forest fires. UNFFS Background paper. New York, NY: United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat. 2021.Google Scholar
Bowman, DM, Murphy, BP, Neyland, DL, et al. Abrupt fire regime change may cause landscape‐wide loss of mature obligate seeder forests. Glob Change Biol. 2014;20(3):1008–1015.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinne, FN, Burns, J, Kant, P, et al. Global fire challenges in a warming world. Vienna, Austria: IUFRO; 2018.Google Scholar
Tedim, F, McCaffrey, S, Leone, V, et al. Supporting a shift in wildfire management from fighting fires to thriving with fires: the need for translational wildfire science. For Policy Econ. 2021;131:102565.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moritz, MA, Batllori, E, Bradstock, RA, et al. Learning to coexist with wildfire. Nature. 2014;515(7525):58–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tedim, F, Leone, V, Amraoui, M, et al. Defining extreme wildfire events: difficulties, challenges, and impacts. Fire. 2018;1(1):9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castellnou, M, Prat-Guitart, N, Arilla, E, et al. Empowering strategic decision-making for wildfire management: avoiding the fear trap and creating a resilient landscape. Fire Ecol. 2019;15:1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mani, ZA, Khorram-Manesh, A, Goniewicz, K. Global health emergencies of extreme drought events: Historical impacts and future preparedness. Atmosphere 2024; 15: 1137. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15091137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitzberger, T, Perry, GL, Paritsis, J, et al. Fire–vegetation feedbacks and alternative states: common mechanisms of temperate forest vulnerability to fire in southern South America and New Zealand. New Zeal J Bot. 2016;54(2):247–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagmann, RK, Hessburg, PF, Prichard, SJ, et al. Evidence for widespread changes in the structure, composition, and fire regimes of western North American forests. Ecol Appl. 2021;31(8):e02431.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duane, A, Castellnou, M, Brotons, L. Towards a comprehensive look at global drivers of novel extreme wildfire events. Clim Change. 2021;165(3-4):43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moreira, F, Ascoli, D, Safford, H, et al. Wildfire management in Mediterranean-type regions: paradigm change needed. Environ Res Lett. 2020;15(1):011001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roteta, E, Bastarrika, A, Padilla, M, et al. Development of a Sentinel-2 burned area algorithm: generation of a small fire database for sub-Saharan Africa. Remote Sens Environ. 2019;222:1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goniewicz, K, Burkle, FM. Disaster early warning systems: the potential role and limitations of emerging text and data messaging mitigation capabilities. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2019;13(4):709–712.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sun, L, Wan, L, Wang, X. Learning-based resource allocation strategy for industrial IoT in UAV-enabled MEC systems. IEEE Trans Industr Inform. 2020;17(7):5031–5040.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexandra, J. Designer ecosystems for the Anthropocene—deliberately creating novel ecosystems in cultural landscapes. Sustainability. 2022;14(7):3952.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bardsley, DK, Prowse, TA, Siegfriedt, C. Seeking knowledge of traditional Indigenous burning practices to inform regional bushfire management. Local Environ. 2019;24(8):727–745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pandey, P, Huidobro, G, Lopes, LF, et al. A global outlook on increasing wildfire risk: current policy situation and future pathways. Trees For People. 2023;14:100431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2023.100431.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowie, AL, Berndes, G, Bentsen, NS, et al. Applying a science‐based systems perspective to dispel misconceptions about climate effects of forest bioenergy. GCB Bioenergy. 2021;13(8):1210–1231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, C, Bessey, PQ, Gallagher, JJ. The global burn registry: a work in progress. J Burn Care Res. 2020;41(5):929–934.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khorram-Manesh, A. Flexible surge capacity–public health, public education, and disaster management. Health Promot Perspect. 2020;10(3):175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayhoe, K. Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. Simon and Schuster; 2021.Google Scholar
Goniewicz, K, Khorram-Manesh, A, Burkle, FM. Beyond boundaries: addressing climate change, violence, and public health. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2023;38(5):551–554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hessburg, PF, Prichard, SJ, Hagmann, RK, et al. Wildfire and climate change adaptation of western North American forests: a case for intentional management. Ecol Appl. 2021;31(8):e02432.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dasandi, N, Graham, H, Lampard, P, et al. Intergovernmental engagement on health impacts of climate change. Bull World Health Organ. 2021;99(2):102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roos, EJ. Call for leadership: climate change and the future health of girls. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2022;35(2):107–108.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gallagher, C, Fenton, H. From Amazon floods and Australian wildfires to human spills and explosions: what disasters mean to wildlife. In: Wildlife Population Health. Springer International Publishing; 2022:129–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khorram-Manesh, A, Goniewicz, K, Burkle, FM. Jr Unleashing the global potential of public health: a framework for future pandemic response. J Infect Public Health. 2024;17(1):82–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2023.10.038.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goniewicz, K, Khorram-Manesh, A, Burkle, FM, et al. The European Union’s post-pandemic strategies for public health, economic recovery, and social resilience. Glob Transit. 2023;5:201–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gautam, U, Tewari, DB. Regulatory framework for regional cooperation on disaster risk reduction (DRR) in India and globe. In: Making India Disaster Resilient: Challenges and Future Perspectives. Springer International Publishing; 2024:297–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wojakowska, M, Gromek, P, Sobolewski, G. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and disaster risk reduction in shaping national security. In: Shaping National Security. Routledge; 2024:65–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumsa, A, Feyisso, F. Applications of geospatial science and technology in disaster risk management. J Robot Auto Res. 2022;3(3):270–281.Google Scholar
Vásquez, F, Cravero, A, Castro, M, et al. Decision support system development of wildland fire: a systematic mapping. Forests. 2021;12:943.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, GW, Tolhurst, KG, Poynter, MW, et al. Prescribed burning in south-eastern Australia: history and future directions. Aust Forestry. 2020;83(1):4–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, R. Human dimensions: traditional ecological knowledge—Finding a home in the ecological society of America. Bull Ecol Soc Am. 2021;102(3):e01892.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boroujeni, SP, Razi, A, Khoshdel, S, et al. A comprehensive survey of research towards ai-enabled unmanned aerial systems in pre-, active-, and post-wildfire management. Inf Fusion. 2024:102369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goniewicz, K, Khorram-Manesh, A, Burkle, F. Navigating climate challenges: strategic directions for a sustainable future. Health Probl Civiliz. 2024. doi:10.5114/hpc.2024.140255CrossRefGoogle Scholar