Satellite image reveals 'unprecedented' problem for the world
Satellites have captured a horrifying image showing one of the Russia's coldest regions on fire.
Permafrost is burning across 800 square kilometres near the town of Syuldyukar, in eastern Siberia.
Fires have been raging across the country since May, with the latest image, created using data from July 26, shared by the World Meteorological Organization to their 126,000 followers on Twitter.
Burnt areas are contrasted against the region's greenery and a plume of smoke can be seen blanketing vast swathes of land.
Sakha-Yakutia is the worst-hit region in Russia, with fire scorching 1.5 million hectares during the current season.
What’s causing the fires?
While bushfires occur annually, hotter than average temperatures due to climate change have resulted in more intense blazes.
Temperatures in Sakha-Yakutia have been higher than average, reaching 39 degrees Celsius.
Russia isn't the only cold region affected by hotter weather. This month, the World Meteorological Organization recognised a new record high temperature in Antarctica of 18.3° Celsius on February 6, 2020.
How Russians are fighting the blazes
People in the area have been advised to close their windows and stay inside because of heavy smoke.
The army has been called in to assist more than 6,500 firefighters tackling blazes in Russia.
Helicopters are being used across the country to help extinguish the fires.
Clear evidence the fires are more severe
European satellites including Copernicus's Sentinel fleet have been collecting and analysing data to monitor the impact of climate change around the planet.
Images taken from space by Copernicus show the how the world is being affected by the disaster.
Are these the only fires impacting the northern hemisphere now?
Fires are continuing to burn across the United States and Canada after record breaking temperatures.
The smoke from North American fires is so thick, a plume swept across Northern Europe on July 17.
Australia impacted by more severe fires
More than 1.8 million hectares were scorched by high-severity blazes during the Black Summer bushfires in 2019 / 2020, with researchers linking this to climate change.
Hazard reduction burns in Western Australia burnt more intensely due to dryer conditions, resulting in the death of wildlife.
Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 were some of the nation's worst and followed an intense heatwave.
What is the forecast for the Australian summer?
Ben Shepherd from the NSW RFS told Yahoo News Australia over the last few months weather has remained reasonably wet, and an early onset of fire season is not expected this year.
"As far as having an above average bushfire season, at this stage there doesn't seem to be any indicators of that occurring," he said.
Despite this news, Mr Shepherd said the RFS has started to see a regular extension of the fire season around August and September.
"We're seeing an increase of fire activity in the shoulders of the traditional fire season," he said.
"That's why it's important that while (the RFS will) do everything we possibly can to prepare, it's important there's onus on property owners as well to ensure that they're well prepared.
"It is easy to forget that while it is relatively quiet and wet now, we will see a return to warm, dry and windy conditions and therefore we'll see an increased risk.
"We all need to play a part in this and ensure we're all ready for the fires when they actually do occur."
with Reuters
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