As 2024 draws to a close, the global community faces a harsh reality: wildfires have become more frequent, intense, and destructive than ever before. This year alone, wildfires devastated millions of hectares across six continents, leaving lasting scars on ecosystems and communities. The need for innovative, scalable solutions has never been more urgent.
AN OVERVIEW OF 2024 WILDFIRES ACROSS THE CONTINENTS
You can view a map of live and historic global wildfires on NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System.
AFRICA
In Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, satellite data indicated extensive fire activity across savannahs and agricultural lands. These fires, often set intentionally to clear land, are a double-edged sword. While they support short-term agricultural productivity, they have far-reaching consequences, including soil degradation, reduced biodiversity, and significant carbon emissions.
Addressing this challenge requires both technological advancements and sustainable land management practices.
ASIA
Siberia endured one of its hottest and driest summers, driving record-breaking wildfires that consumed millions of hectares and released more carbon dioxide than many industrial nations emit annually. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia grappled with persistent wildfires in Indonesia and Thailand, where access to water and firefighting resources remains a critical obstacle.
The impact extends beyond borders. Wildfire smoke degraded air quality for millions, underscoring the urgent need for cross-border collaboration and proactive wildfire management.
AUSTRALIA
The 2023–2024 bushfire season in Australia saw significant activity, with major fires burning across the country. In Mount Buangor State Park, Victoria, a February fire consumed approximately 9,000 hectares, while a bushfire in Albany, Western Australia, scorched a similar area in October. These incidents highlighted the ongoing risks to native species, habitats, and communities posed by a warming climate, with prolonged dry conditions and strong winds fueling fire outbreaks.
To address these challenges, Australia is combining conservation and technology-driven strategies. Indigenous fire management practices, such as controlled burns, are being revitalized to reduce fuel loads and protect ecosystems. Studies in northern Australia have demonstrated their effectiveness in decreasing late-season fires. Simultaneously, advanced technologies like AI-driven detection systems and hyperspectral satellite monitoring enable faster identification and response to fire outbreaks.
EUROPE
Southern Europe experienced its worst wildfire season in history. Greece was particularly hard hit, with fires reaching the outskirts of Athens, forcing evacuations and causing widespread damage. By August, the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism had been activated 29 times—more than in any previous year.
The destructiveness of these fires stemmed from record-breaking heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and dry vegetation—conditions exacerbated by climate change. Urban expansion into forested areas and insufficient forest management, such as neglecting to clear undergrowth, further heightened risks, while strong seasonal winds accelerated the spread of flames.
To combat this growing crisis, innovations like advanced wildfire detection systems and satellite monitoring, along with sustainable land-use planning and proactive forest management, can better protect the region’s landscapes and communities from increasingly destructive wildfires.
NORTH AMERICA
This year, wildfires burned over 14 million acres across North America. In the United States, Oregon experienced its most severe wildfire season on record, with over 1.4 million acres burned by early August. The severity was exacerbated by a combination of climate change and human activity, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive wildfire management strategies that can address these growing challenges.
However, not all wildfires are destructive. Many ecosystems worldwide, such as North America’s pine forests and prairies, are fire-adapted. Historically, periodic low-intensity fires have been vital in maintaining these landscapes. Yet, decades of fire suppression policies and increasing climate pressures have disrupted these natural cycles. Restoring balance will require innovative management approaches that include prescribed burns and other strategies to mimic nature’s cycles while also leveraging emerging technologies to prevent catastrophic fires.
SOUTH AMERICA
The Amazon rainforest, the most biodiverse ecosystem on Earth, continued to face rampant fires driven by deforestation and climate change. Unlike fire-adapted ecosystems, the Amazon is not naturally equipped to withstand frequent burning. Fires disrupt the delicate balance of this lush ecosystem, decimating species that have evolved to thrive in humid, fire-free conditions and causing long-lasting harm to forest structure.
Brazil reported thousands of fire outbreaks, threatening at-risk species and releasing carbon emissions that exacerbate global warming. These fires threaten at-risk species and destroy vital carbon sinks, releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that accelerate global warming.
Protecting the Amazon requires innovative global partnerships and on-the-ground interventions to combat the root causes of these fires.
LOOKING AHEAD: HOW INNOVATIONS AIM TO TRANSFORM WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT
Amid these challenges, the XPRIZE Wildfire competition, a $11 million, four-year effort, is catalyzing breakthrough technologies to detect and suppress wildfires before they become destructive.
Innovators worldwide are developing autonomous systems that leverage AI, drones, and satellite technologies across two competition tracks–rapid satellite detection and autonomous suppression. These solutions, now advancing to the next stages of competition, aim to revolutionize how humanity safeguards nature and communities.
The Qualified Teams will submit technical verifications for evaluation early next year. The finalists will then enter real-world testing in 2025 and 2026. The stakes are high, but the potential to transform wildfire management is immense.
Solving the wildfire crisis requires a multifaceted approach. While cutting-edge technologies play a crucial role, integrating traditional fire management practices, such as traditional burns, could offer sustainable, locally informed solutions.
Collaborations between technologists, policymakers, and Indigenous communities are essential to address the complexities of wildfires in a changing world. The XPRIZE Wildfire competition shines as a beacon of hope as wildfires continue to reshape our world. Together, we can prevent future disasters and protect both nature and humanity.
THE AUTHOR
