Fuelled by climate change, the occurrence of extreme wildfires is growing with unprecedented damages and impacts on communities, the environment and economies. Under future projected warming scenarios, wildfire frequency and severity are estimated to increase, calling for a fundamental shift in wildfire management to focus on climate change adaptation and wildfire risk prevention.
How does climate change affect the occurrence of extreme wildfires? What are the losses and costs observed during recent extreme wildfire events and what can be expected for the future? How are countries’ policies and practices evolving in the face of increased wildfire risk and how can they scale up climate adaptation efforts and limit future wildfire costs?
JOIN US on Thursday 14 September 2023 from 14:00 to 15:00 CEST for our next OECD Green Talks LIVE to discuss how to prevent extreme wildfires in the context of a changing climate. Along with a panel of wildfire scientists and country experts, OECD analysts will present key findings and recommendations from the recent OECD report Taming Wildfires in the Context of Climate Change, launched at the 8th International Wildland Fire Conference in Portugal in May.
The report provides a global assessment of wildfire risks in the context of climate change to shed light on the potentially irreversible impacts extreme wildfires may trigger. The OECD worked closely together with Australia, Costa Rica, Greece, Portugal and the United States as well as with the OECD Task Force on Climate Change Adaptation to assess how wildfire management policies and practices need to be adapted to contain future wildfire damages. It summarises the main findings of this work and presents recommendations to support countries in building climate resilience to extreme wildfires.
Agenda
14:00 – 14:05 Opening remarks by Jo Tyndall, OECD Environment Director
14:05 – 14:20 Presentation of the key findings of the OECD report by Catherine Gamper, OECD Environment Directorate
14:20 – 14:55 Moderated Panel discussion: Building resilience to wildfires in the context of climate change: insights from science, policy and practice
Format: One question for each speaker by the Moderator (3-4 min answers each) + one round of Q&A taken from the public (approx. 15 minutes)
Moderator: Jo Tyndall or Catherine Gamper
Speakers:
- Bertília Valadas, Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, Portugal and/or Joao Verde – Head of Integrated Management Policy - Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fires
- Shawn Carter, Senior Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey - National Climate Adaptation Science Center (TBC)
- Raoul Raward, Director of Strategic and International Policy, Resilience Policy and Design Branch, National Emergency Management Agency (TBC)
14:55 – 15:00 Closing remarks by Jo Tyndall - OECD Environment Director
