In Europe and Oceania, the study noted a decline in wildfire exposures, mainly because of population shifts from rural to urban areas. This highlights how both social and environmental factors play critical roles in shaping wildfire risk. “The global paradox of decreased burn area and increased human impacts we uncovered … is due largely to an increasing overlap between human settlements and fire-prone landscapes,” said co-author Amir AghaKouchak, UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering.