Canada's fires in 2023 as the countries with the highest carbon emissions

2024/08/29 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena
• Klima
• Energia

Large-scale fires in Canada in 2023 have calculated carbon emissions into the atmosphere and have found that in 2022 there were more carbon emissions from fourth place on the list of countries with the highest carbon emissions in relation to fossil fuels. Only China, India and the United States had more carbon emissions than fires. That is why researchers have questioned the ability of forests to become a carbon deposit in the future.

According to a study published in the journal Nature, in 2023, fires in Canada ravaged 15 million hectares of forest, which accounts for about 4% of the country's forest area. In addition, researchers have measured by satellite the carbon monoxide released in forest fires and estimated that 647 teragrams of carbon were released, compared to the 29-121 teragrams produced in the previous decade. Furthermore, they recalled that the year 2023 was particularly dry and warm, so the forecasts indicate that drought and temperatures for 2050 will be the usual ones. If the trend continues, fires will become more and more frequent, so the design and implementation of climate policies should take into account the carbon emissions from fires and their influence on climate change in general.