Growing scientific evidence linking extreme fires to climate change
MORE light has been shed on the relationship between climate change and catastrophic bushfires by a group of experts from the Australian National University and Griffith University.
The group of five scientists reviewed the growing scientific literature, finding more alarming evidence of the link between the two phenomena.
The scientists have launched the Bushfire Response project to make scientific evidence more accessible to the public, and have released their first report.
Griffith University Professor Brendan Mackey said the evidence showed the Black Summer Fires - which burnt more forest area than any previous fire season - were exacerbated by climate change.
Their report found under extreme fire weather conditions the importance of fuel loads decreases significantly and fuel dryness becomes the key factor - a finding that was mirrored in the recent royal commission into the Black Summer Fires.