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Why are U.S. Wildfires A Threat to the World?
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Over the last decade, there has been an astounding amount of wildfires blazing through the United States, with U.S. wildfires forcing thousands people to evacuate from their homes, with these numbers increasing daily, according to CalFire.gov.
Wildfires, such as U.S. wildfires, pose a unique threat – as these densely populated areas can suffer from economic, emotional, and environmental consequences.
In this article, we'll provide an overview of U.S. wildfires, how wildfires have started, and how we can mitigate them in the future.
Why are U.S. wildfires dangerous for the rest of the world?
U.S. wildfires, which refer to wildfires that occur in states with dry, warm climates such as Hawaii and California, can be detrimental to the rest of the global population as the United States serves as a resource and economic hub for many organizations around the world.
💡Think of anytime a nation is in need of materials, such as requiring additional masks during the Covid-19 pandemic – the United States is usually quick to provide resources to its allies. However, if U.S. wildfires continue at their current rate – their resources will be depleted more easily, and there will be less to share with other countries in times of need.
“ Overall, U.S. wildfires pose risks that extend beyond the states – as it can have an impact on our global economy and contribute to the increase of worldwide emissions, which is especially important as the world works to avoid surpassing the 1.5 °C threshold. ”
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How do U.S. wildfires affect other countries?
U.S. wildfires can prohibit other countries from reaching their emissions reduction targets, contribute to poor air quality, and hinder their own economic prospects.
Here’s a breakdown of how U.S. wildfires may impact the rest of the world:
- Increase in GHG Emissions – U.S. wildfires release massive amounts of fine particle matter such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) – all of which contribute to more global warming. For example, the 2020 U.S. wildfires emitted over 100 million metric tons of CO₂ alone – which can account for around half the annual emissions of less carbon-intensive countries such as Argentina.
- Decrease in Global Air Quality – The wildfire smoke from a U.S. wildfire can travel up to thousands of miles – such as how smoke from the 2023 Canada wildfires were able to reach France.
- Contributes to Melting Ice – Soot and black carbon from U.S. wildfires can settle on Arctic ice, which in turn can create a feedback loop that further exacerbates sea-level rise – making coastal communities worldwide even more vulnerable to natural disasters.
- Economic Impact – U.S. wildfires can deteriorate crop harvests to be exported – especially in California, which is prone to wildfires and is a major contributor to agricultural exports such as nuts, wine, and even almond milk. This can impact international trade and take a toll on our global economy.
- Elicits Fear to Other Vulnerable Nations – U.S. wildfires, such as the current wildfires in Los Angeles in 2025, are subject to excessive media coverage – which can further elicit eco-anxiety and create an indifferent attitude towards climate change.
👉 Overall, U.S. wildfires are not isolated events – as their impact can create a ripple effect on air quality, economic stability and climate change as a whole. Therefore, effective international efforts are often paramount to combat the effects of U.S. wildfires on other countries.
Most devastating U.S. wildfires
The United States has faced several devastating wildfires over the last ten years, with each U.S. wildfire causing significant destruction and loss – even for celebrities, highlighting how none of us are safe from the effects of climate change.
💡Did you know? The deadliest wildfire in the U.S. was the Peshtigo Fire, which killed up to 1,500 people, and the most expensive U.S. wildfire was the Maui wildfire – resulting in $5.5 billion USD in economic losses.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the most catastrophic U.S. wildfires and their impact:
2018 Woolsey Malibu Wildfires
Occurring in November 2018, the Woolsey Fire had the biggest impact on Malibu – one of the most beautiful and desirable places to live in Southern California.
The fire spanned a massive 96,949 acres, destroyed over 1,600 structures, and resulted in three casualties – making it one of the most destructive U.S. wildfires, and marked the beginning of an increase in wildfire risks for Southern California.
👉 Many celebrities lost their own homes and personal items in this wildfire, such as Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth – who lost their home, and with the famous Hannah Montana singer losing original handwritten lyrics in the wildfire.
2020 August Complex Fire
The August Complex Fire happened in August 2020 after a heat wave, burning 1,032,648 acres of land across Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, Trinity and Shasta counties. Furthermore, approximately 935 buildings and homes were destroyed in this U.S. wildfire.
💡 2020 was one of the worst years for U.S. wildfires, with wildfires in the state of California in 2020 burning a whopping 4.3 acres of land in a single year. Just think: this was during the height of the pandemic, when less people were driving and air pollution levels were clearer than ever before.
2023 Maui Wildfires
In August 2023, wildfires erupted on the island of Maui, causing widespread devastation – with historical areas and landmarks washed away by ashes and local communities left struggling to rebuild their unique, cultural-led home.
The death toll for the Maui wildfires reached a heartbreaking 111 fatalities in Lāhainā. As a result, the Maui wildfires pinpointed the need to protect small islands from the threat of wildfires – as strong winds, dry conditions, and an isolated location far from easy access to resources is a recipe for disaster.
👉 We have an entire article on the Maui wildfires, click here to read it.
2025 Los Angeles Wildfires
In early January 2025, Los Angeles County witnessed cataclysmic wildfires, such as with the Palisades and Eaton Fires.
Together, these fires collectively burned over 60 square miles of land, destroyed more than 12,000 structures, and resulted in at least 24 fatalities.
💡The current Los Angeles wildfires could result in $30 billion USD worth of losses for the insurance industry, illustrating the economic impact that can be created by U.S. wildfires.
Over 100,000 people were told to evacuate homes in the midst of the Los Angeles wildfires, demonstrating the emotional impact that can be created by sudden and catastrophic natural disasters such as U.S. wildfires.
👉 In fact, we recently published an article on the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, click here to read it.
Ultimately, each of these U.S. wildfires demonstrates the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires across the country – underscoring the need for more effective strategies to mitigate harm to local communities and the surrounding environment.
The table below will break down the death toll and economic impact of each of these wildfires to allow for comparing and contrasting each of these U.S. wildfire’s negative impacts:
| Wildfire | Year | Death Toll | Economic Impact (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woolsey Fire | 2018 | 3 | ~$6 billion |
| August Complex Fire | 2020 | 1 | ~$1.2 billion |
| Maui Fire | 2023 | At least 97 | ~$6 billion |
| LA Wildfires | 2025 | TBD | TBD |
What can we learn from each of these U.S. wildfires?
There are lessons to be learned from each of these U.S. wildfires – such as underscoring the need for greater climate resilient infrastructure and how community-centered recovery is key following a wildfire.
Here are some of the lessons to keep in mind after these devastating U.S. wildfires:
- Urban Resilience & Infrastructure – Depicted by the LA wildfires in 2025, U.S. wildfires are illustrating the need for fire-resistant construction materials and to develop new zoning laws to avoid building new structures in areas most susceptible to wildfires.
- AI Can Help – Using AI to collect data on a wildfire’s whereabouts can help firefighters and other emergency preparedness systems to better invest their time in the areas where their services are needed the most.
- Preparedness is Crucial – The majority of these U.S. wildfires happened out of the blue with no time to prepare for the extenuating circumstances, demonstrating our need to improve upon cross-disaster readiness in areas prone to wildfires.
- Community is Key – As we’ve witnessed with the community of Los Angeles coming together to help those affected by the current wildfires, recovery efforts can be more meaningful when indigenous and economically vulnerable communities feel supported by their peers.
- Evacuation Remains Challenging – The 2018 Malibu wildfires, and even the recent 2025 LA wildfires, continue to illustrate how traffic congestion and delayed evacuation orders can elicit harmful effects – highlighting the need for earlier warning systems to be put in place and to rethink the value of a public transportation system.
👉 Overall, the U.S. wildfires over the last few years depict our incessant cycle of erratic natural disasters – and underscore all that we could do to make them less catastrophic.
How can we prevent more U.S. wildfires?
Truthfully, the only way to prevent more U.S. wildfires would be to tackle the root of the cause – increased GHG emissions and global warming itself.
Here are some ways that we could make an effort to reduce the amount of U.S. wildfires:
- Improved Legislation – In the same way that a good building or car can’t be built without a sufficient base-structure, we can’t mitigate U.S. wildfires without the proper climate legislation intact to help reduce emissions as a whole.
- Update Land-Use Policies – These U.S. wildfires emphasize the need to avoid building housing developments in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas, meaning that if we update our building codes and land-use policies – we could avoid the deleterious effects of U.S. wildfires we see today.
- Adjust Current Forest & Vegetation Management – As many wildfires in areas such as Southern California can be fueled by flammable vegetation, it is paramount to reduce the risk of excess vegetation that could cause a widespread wildfire. Furthermore, we should also seek to better manage overgrown forests – as mechanical foliage thinning could help to reduce the intensity of wildfires without sacrificing biodiversity.
- Address Climate Change – Last but not least, addressing greenhouse gases and carbon emissions as a whole can help to reduce the current trends of warming that often contribute to conditions that could create wildfires: such as droughts and heatwaves.
Ultimately, putting an end to U.S. wildfires is bound to be a long road – but it’s possible to reduce their severity and ensure that future generations will not experience even more frequent and intense wildfires as we are witnessing today.
What about Greenly?
If reading this article on U.S. wildfires has inspired you to consider your company’s own carbon footprint, Greenly can help.
At Greenly we can help you to assess your company’s carbon footprint, and then give you the tools you need to cut down on emissions. We offer a free demo for you to better understand our platform and all that it has to offer – including assistance on how to reduce emissions, optimize energy efficiency, and more to make sure your business doesn’t contribute to devastating natural disasters.
Learn more about Greenly’s carbon management platform here.
