Forest fires generated an estimated 1,760 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions last year. This is a record figure for emissions from wildfires, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Earth Monitoring Programme.
Program scientists believe that due to climate change, there will be more and more wildfires. “High temperatures, severe thunderstorms, high winds and extreme weather will become more and more common,” Copernicus wrote.
Sander Veraverbeek, a climate scientist at VU University Amsterdam, also sees a clear trend. “When I think about last summer with all those big fires in the Mediterranean, the United States, Canada and eastern Siberia, I’m not surprised that they’re setting records now,” he said in the statement. Radio NOS 1 news.
Copernicus mentioned earlier that there are a lot of emissions especially in summer in the northern hemisphere. Records were already broken in July and August.
Record years in Siberia
Veraverbeek says East Siberia has already set three consecutive record years. “As a scientist, I’m amazed. In fact, a number of things we expect for 2050 are already happening, especially in Siberia.”
In the Russian region, millions of hectares of forest caught fire last summer. Siberian permafrost has thawed as well, soil that usually does not thaw completely. “If burning starts more and more in places where it hasn’t burned before, like the permafrost regions of Siberia, it will lead to additional emissions and climate change.”
Veraverbeek says stopping climate change is one long-term solution. He believes that focusing on prevention can help in the short term. “Even when it is very dry and warm, a fire must be lit. It is often started by human action, whether consciously or unconsciously.”
