Primary human exposure to large wildfires more than doubled in the contiguous United States from 2000 to 2019, largely occurring in the western United States. This increase is attributable to an increase in the burned area, as well as to wildfires impacting more people and infrastructure per unit burned area, particularly in California.
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References
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This is a summary of: Modaresi Rad, A. et al. Human and infrastructure exposure to large wildfires in the United States. Nat. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/10.1038/s41893-023-01163-z (2023).
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Increase in exposure of humans and infrastructure to large wildfires in the United States. Nat Sustain 6, 1300–1301 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01164-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01164-y