Chile declares state of emergency over raging forest fires
Al JazeeraJAN 2024
Chile: Raging Wildfires Kill More Than 100
Image copyright: Claudio Santana/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Climate change-driven extreme weather has worsened forest fires in Chile. Record heatwaves and unusually high temperatures have turned a general summer phenomenon into an unprecedented environmental disaster which, in the absence of a comprehensive response, threatens to destroy the ecological balance and cause unforeseeable harm to human habitats.
Narrative B
The culprit behind the extended hot and dry conditions — including low humidity and high wind speeds — isn't climate change but the El Niño weather phenomenon. It has caused droughts and led to hotter-than-usual temperatures along western South America, increasing the risk of forest fires. This is a natural phenomenon and outside the scope of Chile's climate mitigation efforts.