Scholars’ Circle – Wildfires Erupting Across Europe and North America – August 23, 2026

The world is on fire. While that seems alarmist, this summer has been the summer of fire. Wildfires have spread all around the world, with specific fires in Spain, France, Canada and the US seizing global headlines. While the summer in the northern hemisphere is typically wildfire season, this year seems to mark an increased intensity and occurrences of these fires. On today’s show we will explore what has been the cause of these fires. What environmental conditions have lead to the increased intensity of these fires? And what should be done both locally and globally to better manage wildfires? [ dur: 58mins. ] Doug Specht is a Chartered Geographer, a Reader in Cultural Geography and Communication, and Head of the School of Media and Communication at the University of Westminster. He is the author of Mapping crisis: Participation, datafication and humanitarianism in the age of digital mapping and most recently in the Conversation There’s nothing ‘wild’ about most wildfires, humans start them and have made them more dangerous. Daniel Swain is climate scientist with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) and a research partner at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research. He is the co-author of Anthropogenic warming has increased drought risk in California and Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood. He is the author of the Weather West blog. This program is produced by Doug Becker, Maria Armoudian, Ankine Aghassian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre. Environment, Politics and Activism, Climate Change, Environmental Activism, Wildfires