Wildfires that are raging across New York and New Jersey highlight a new threat to one of the world’s most affluent regions.
Climate change is regarded by scientists as the pre-eminent factor driving long-term changes in weather, and the New York region is experiencing a severe drought – the Big Apple experienced its driest October on record. Dry, hot weather underpins fire danger across the globe today.
The blazes also have their roots in issues that are a century or more in the making: Evolving land use and a stew of invasive plants, insects and