Wildfires to become more commonplace even if global warming is curbed

A wildfire in southern France in August. World Meteorological Organisation secretary-general Professor Petteri Taalas said: "We have seen this in the heatwaves in Europe and China this year when stable high atmospheric conditions, sunlight and low wind speeds were conducive to high pollution levels." (Photo: Pascal Guyot / AFP

Wildfires such as the devastating Australian disaster of 2019 will become much more commonplace, with declining air quality - even if emissions and global warming are curbed.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned that the wildfires brought on by extreme heatwaves in Europe this year are a "foretaste of the future", with the a so-called "climate penalty" - worsening air quality - to pay.