This century, Australia has suffered more frequent and more severe bushfires. The Black Summer fires of 2019-2020 were the worst on record for the area burned and property loss.

How much climate change has contributed to these increases is a hot topic. Bushfire risk is dialled up by four switches: fuel amount, fuel condition, fire weather and ignition sources. Untangling these various influences is difficult, so the role played by the warming climate is heavily debated.