What is a Wildfire?

About the lecture

In this module, we think about what wildfires are and why they happen. We focus on: (i) the locations and conditions in which wildfires occur; (ii) how wildfires are instigated; (iii) the vegetation combustion process and carbon emissions from wildfires, in which we note that natural wildfires are typically carbon neutral due to subsequent plant regrowth and resequestration through photosynthesis; (iv) how human activity, such as land-use change, has meant that wildfires often now contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

About the lecturer

Dr Thomas Smith is Associate Professor in Environmental Geography at the London School of Economics. He researches the causes, effects, and modelling of wildland fires, with a particular focus on the interactions between land-use change, greenhouse gas emissions, and wildfires.