Living in the Pyrocene
Historians usually speak in terms of in eras or dynasties: the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire, the Age of Enlightenment. Fire historian Stephen J. Pyne writes about the way that fire as an element, and mankind’s uses of it, have shaped human history.
From his book “Fire; A Brief History”, the Seattle Times gave the review:
“Stephen J. Pyne writes about fire as if he were on fire, with searing, consuming heat and light. When he looks at fire he sees not biological catastrophe but social illumination and natural renewal”
The “Pyrocene era” was coined by Stephen J. Pyne to describe a new geological and cultural epoch shaped by humanity’s relationship with fire. Much like the Anthropocene highlights human impact on the planet, the Pyrocene focuses specifically on how we ignite fire, suppress fire, and unintentionally amplify fire.
In this Pyrocene, fire is becomes inseparable from climate change, land management, urban expansion, and industrial activity. Our landscapes, ecosystems, and even our air quality are increasingly shaped by burning, both deliberate and accidental.
Use of Fire: Industrialisation
In Stephen J. Pyne’s perspective, use of fire moved from being part of the landscape and a companion in Indigenous land practices, to being part of a function in machinery. First Nations peoples around the world practiced cultural burning, implementing small, frequent fires as part of maintaining healthy ecosystems and reducing fuel loads for tens of thousands of years. Famously, many Banksia species have woody seed pods that do not open unless they’re exposed to intense heat; their germination is dependent on the presence of fire.
Through the process of colonisation and industrialisation, this traditional knowledge was sidelined and forests grew denser. The use of fire shifted to combustion engines, coal-fired power plants, ovens and furnaces.
From the Insurance Museum, the link between industrialisation and fire risk has always been apparent; the Ratcliffe Fire, which started 34 years into the Industrial Revolution, devastated timber yards, rope yards and sugar warehouses in London’s east, with dry materials stored in narrow laneways acting as a source of fuel for the fire to spread.
Modern Relevance
On a global scale, we can see the same dangerous feedback loop applies in the Pyrocene:
• Rising temperatures dry out landscapes
• Drier landscapes burn more easily
• Larger, hotter fires release massive amounts of carbon
• More carbon accelerates climate change
This loop is already visible across the globe, from Australia’s Black Summer to megafires in North America, the Amazon, and the Mediterranean. Fire seasons are longer, fires burn hotter, and suppression is becoming less effective.
The fires that burned through Los Angeles in 2025 challenged the perception of modern cities being safer from bushfires than country areas, with 440 deaths attributed to the fire and more than 16,000 structures were destroyed. Smoke travels thousands of kilometres, affecting millions of people who never see the flames; threatening suburbs, infrastructure, water supplies, and public health.
Living During the Pyrocene
Stephen J. Pyne does not propose that the Pyrocene brings the end of civilisation, but signifies a renewed need to learn to live with fire.
His proposed societal shifts include:
• Supporting Indigenous-led cultural burning
• Expanding prescribed burning where ecologically appropriate
• Designing fire-resilient buildings and communities
• Protecting biodiversity alongside human safety
• Rapidly reducing fossil fuel combustion
The concept of the Pyrocene helps us understand that Australia’s fire crisis is not about toughing it out through bad summers or unlucky seasons. It is about how we manage land, respect knowledge, build cities, and power our society.
Suggested Reading
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Knowledge is the antidote to fear”. If you’d like to learn more about the Pyrocene and Australian fires, we suggest the following reads:
• Welcome to the Pyrocene by Stephen J. Pyne
• The Pyrocene: How we created an age of fire, and what happens next by Stephen J. Pyne
• Fire Country: How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia by Victor Steffensen