Some of world’s oldest trees hit by climate-fuelled wildfires in Patagonia

Climate-fueled wildfires devastated parts of Chile and Argentina in January, killing 23 people in Chile and impacting the Los Alerces National Park in Patagonia, home to some of the world's oldest trees. A study by the World Weather Attribution consortium found that global heating made the hot, dry, and windy conditions that enabled the fires about three times more likely. The fires were exacerbated by significantly drier summers in the region, with rainfall down 25% in Chile and 20% in Patagonia due to human-caused carbon emissions. Scientists warn that such extreme weather events will continue to increase until fossil fuel use is halted, and some suggest budget cuts to fire management services worsened the impact in Argentina.

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