Wildfire severity, spread and frequency have all increased because of climate change. This poses a growing threat to forest ecosystems and high-risk rural areas. Critical services such as health and safety, forestry, natural disaster and emergency relief agencies, and rural planning are overburdened and the strain on these resources is likely to grow. There is a pressing need for technological innovation on three fronts – prediction, emergency response and forest management – with artificial intelligence (AI) able to help to predict the riskiest locations and the best possible strategy to mitigate fire hazards.

Report by the World Economic Forum