Smoke pollution from wildfires may be killing an extra 12,000 people a year, new research suggests

Hundreds of people died from the effects of smoke inhalation caused by Australia’s 2019-20 black summer bushfires, according to Prof Hilary Bambrick. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Global heating is causing more of the planet to be burned from wildfires and probably killing an extra 12,000 people a year from breathing in smoke, new research has found.

Global heating was particularly increasing the risk of death from wildfire smoke in Australia, South America, Europe and the boreal forests of Asia, one modelling study found.