Australia just had one of the most devastating wildfires on record. It burned for a number of days and destroyed hundreds of miles worth of animal and human habitats displacing millions. It is true that Australia often has wildfires and they even had a few really bad ones, but one of the underlying causes of this one may have been climate change and scientists are on a race to find out.

Some people might point to the history of wildfires in the country as proof that climate change has nothing to do with the latest one to happen but that wouldn’t be true exactly. There are decades of research that point to the role that climate change has in these events.

Although it’s true that even at the best of times, periods of prolonged drought lead to wildfire in the country, however, it is also true that climate change makes these instances more common and may lead to earlier and longer fire seasons. Meaning that the country may begin to see more events like this one. The research is still being done but early speculation points to climate change being a factor in the devastation.