Forest Fires Claim 1.53 Million Lives Globally, Hitting Certain Countries Harder

This study was published shortly after the UN climate negotiations. An increase in climate financing for certain countries was decided, but it was considered insufficient.

Forest fires and mortality

In addition to the known repercussions on the environment and biodiversity, forest fires have other unsuspected harmful effects. According to a new study published on November 28, 2024 by the thematic journal The Lancet, they are responsible for nearly 1.5 million deaths per year.

Scientists arrived at this observation based on the average daily and annual concentrations depending on the population of fine particles between 2009 and 2019. Of the 1.53 million deaths attributable to this atmospheric pollution generated by forest fires, 450,000 are caused by cardiovascular complications and 220,000 by a respiratory problem.

Geographic and socioeconomic disparities

The study also specifies that 90% of these deaths occurred in countries where income is low to intermediate, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia… “The five countries with the highest number of deaths from all causes were China, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia and Nigeria.

However, North America, Central America and countries bordering the Mediterranean show increasing trends. However, this leads to real geographic and socioeconomic disparities, defined in the study as environmental injustice in a climate of global warming.

10,000 hectares of Ecuador decimated by fires

In addition to the pollution generated by wildfires, scientists also looked at land burning, an agricultural technique used to clear fields, particularly in northern India, which has reached record numbers. In New Delhi, the burning generated a cloud of pollution containing a significant concentration of harmful microparticles, as Libération relays.

The authors of this study, funded by the Australian Research Council and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, call for urgent action. A state of national emergency was declared in Ecuador in November 2024, where forest fires decimated 10,000 hectares of the country's territory.