Carbon emissions from Canada’s historic forest fires have already surpassed the national annual record, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Earth Observatory Copernicus reported on Thursday, August 3. And the peak may not have been passed yet, as the country remains mired in more than 990 explosions, 613 of them out of control, authorities say.
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Carbon emissions generated by forest fires in Canada have reached unprecedented levels and by the end of July they already represented more than double the previous annual record, set in 2014, according to data from the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Observatory, Copernicus, published this Thursday, August 3.
“Currently, total emissions from wildfires in Canada stand at around 290 megatonnes (of carbon), while the previous record, set in 2014, was 138 megatonnes,” Copernicus notes in a bulletin.
At the moment, the figure for 2023 only reflects emissions since the beginning of the year and even essentially since the beginning of May, when the extensive sources of fire began to hit the country, despite the fact that the deflagration season has not yet ended .
“We have been monitoring emissions from the fires across Canada for the three months since early May, and over this period they have continued to rise almost continuously to a level that is already significantly higher than previous emissions recorded in our database. data for a whole year in this country,” says Mark Parrington, a scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. The data goes back to early 2003.
More than 990 fires are still burning
“Emissions linked to boreal fires typically peak in late July or early August, so the total should continue to rise for a few more weeks,” it warns.
Canada, which due to its geographical location warms faster than the rest of the planet, has had to deal with extreme weather events in recent years, the intensity and frequency of which have been increased by climate change.
As of July 30, the country had been ravaged by more than 990 fires, 613 of which were considered out of control. On that date, more than 12 million hectares had already burned this year, a total far higher than any other the country has suffered in its entire history.
with AFP
This article was adapted from its original French version
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