Fires increased CO2 emissions by 16 % in one year

A recent study by an international team of scientists looked at the increase in wildfires between March 2023 and February 2024. Their analysis shows that these devastating events have contributed to the release of more than 8.6 billion tons of CO2 worldwide and continue to damage our planet. due to global warming.

According to the observatory, in 70 % cases, fires are caused by activities related to economic activity, such as construction work, agricultural activity and electrical networks, or by everyday activities such as smoking, bonfires, fires caused by vehicles or waste. However, climate change also plays a significant role. Global warming leads to an extreme increase in temperatures and water scarcity, which accelerates soil drought and increases the likelihood of fires. A recently published study in the journal Earth System Science points to exactly this connection between climate change and the intensification of fires on a global scale.

Burnt areas and emissions

The analysis suggests that human-caused global warming, such as deforestation, has increased the likelihood of favorable fire conditions in the western Amazon by 20 to 28.5 times. Between 2023 and 2024, nearly 3.9 million square kilometers were smoky worldwide, including significant areas in the Amazon, such as Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela. "These fires are becoming more frequent and more intense as a result of climate warming, with both society and the environment suffering,"

The report also notes the increase in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of these fires. The total volume of carbon released from the fires reached 2.4 petagrams, which represents an increase of 16 % compared to the average of previous years. This increase is primarily due to massive fires in Canada, where more than 6,000 fires were recorded in 2023. CO2 emissions from these disasters were nine times higher than the average values of the last two decades.

Experts warn that if humanity does not start seriously dealing with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, these phenomena are likely to multiply in the future. Another study published in the scientific journal Nature confirms that the number of fires increased by 2.2 between 2003 and 2023, with the last seven years being among the most intense. According to experts, this increase is directly caused by global warming. So it is necessary to act. (CO2AI)