El Nino, climate change supercharged Indonesia fires, study says
A new study attributes Indonesia's severe wildfire season to the combined effects of El Nino and human-induced climate change. Researchers found that rising global temperatures made the dry conditions significantly more intense and likely to occur.
Why it matters
Understanding the drivers of extreme weather is critical for climate policy and managing the economic impact of environmental disasters on agriculture and public health.
A strong El Nino and human-induced climate change fueled the hot and dry weather over Indonesia this year that sparked the country’s worst wildfire season in a decade, according to new research.El Nino was the driver of the severe lack of rainfall, while climate change was the cause of high temperatures, a report by World Weather Attribution shows.
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