Climate Change Doubled the Size of Forest Fires in Western U.S., Study Says

Man-made climate change has doubled the total area burned by forest fires in the Western U.S. in the past three decades, according to new research.

Damage from forest fires has risen dramatically in recent decades, with the total acres burned in the U.S. rising from 2.9 million in 1985 to 10.1 million in 2015, according to National Interagency Fire Center data. Suppression costs paid by the federal government now top $2 billion.