OTTAWA – Forest fires raging in Canada this year have resulted in a staggering release of 290 million tonnes of carbon, doubling the previous annual record, as reported by the EU’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.
The estimated emissions from the Canadian fires account for over 25 per cent of the global total for the year 2023 so far, surpassing the previous Canadian record of 138 million tonnes set in 2014. The Copernicus service, which began satellite monitoring of emissions in 2003, revealed these alarming statistics on Thursday.
This year’s wildfire season in Canada has been declared the worst on record in terms of the area burned. Approximately 131,000 square kilometers have already been scorched across eastern and western Canada, which is equivalent to the size of Greece. The combined area burned this year has exceeded the total area burned in the years 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2022, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
The impact of these wildfires extended far beyond Canada’s borders. Smoke from the Canadian wildfires spread across several major cities, including New York City and Toronto, leading to public health authorities issuing air quality alerts. The smoke is linked to higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and increased emergency room visits for respiratory conditions.
Wildfires have affected almost all of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories, with more than 1,040 fires burning across the country on Thursday. Approximately 660 of these fires were categorized as being out of control, posing further challenges to firefighting efforts.
Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at Copernicus, stated that the emissions from fires in boreal regions typically peak at the end of July and early August, implying that the total emissions are likely to continue rising in the coming weeks.
Forests play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide, a significant greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Canada’s northern boreal forest alone stores more than 200 billion tonnes of carbon, which is equivalent to several decades’ worth of global carbon emissions. However, when wildfires ravage these forests, they release a substantial amount of stored carbon into the atmosphere. This accelerates global warming and creates a dangerous feedback loop by creating conditions that increase the likelihood of future fires.
The situation has raised concerns among scientists about the impact of Canada’s fires on the atmosphere and air quality. The amount of carbon released from the wildfires is roughly equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions produced by Indonesia’s burning of fossil fuels, highlighting the magnitude of the environmental impact caused by the ongoing fires.