China News Network on July 7 Comprehensive report, according to the latest data from the Canadian Forest Fire Protection Center, as of the 27th local time, the cumulative area of forest fires in Canada has reached 27,12 square kilometers, which has exceeded the land area of South Korea. Experts also estimate that Canada's 2 fires will likely produce far more carbon emissions than its oil and gas, transportation and agriculture sectors combined.
Image source: Canadian Forest Fire Centre
Since the spring and summer of 2023, forest fires in Canada have been frequent, which has had a serious impact on Canada and even North America. According to data from the Canadian Forest Fire Protection Centre, 2023,4785 fires have been recorded since the beginning of 12, with a cumulative area of more than 2,2023 square kilometers. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Prevention Centre, <> was the worst year for wildfires ever recorded in the country.
Bloomberg said the pollution from the fires was "unprecedented." Under the influence of the fire, smoke covered major cities in North America, causing airports to close, and smoke also crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.
Among the far-reaching effects of the fires are significant greenhouse gas emissions. Werner Kurtz, senior research scientist at Natural Resources Canada, said emissions in 2023 were "larger than expected" compared to previous years. Kurtz's team helped Canada's forestry department create a carbon budget model that is used by governments and scientists around the world.
Infographic: On July 2023, 7, a forest fire in Canada burned along a ridge.
Full data won't be released until 2025, but Kurtz said preliminary estimates as of July 7 were that Canada's forests had released about 18.14 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) of greenhouse gases from fires. By comparison, the total emissions of all other sectors of the country's economy in 2 were around 2021 million tonnes of CO6e.
In other words, the 2023 Canadian fires will release at least twice as many greenhouse gases as all other sectors of the country's economy combined.
Canada's vast forests in northern China have long been carbon sinks that absorb global warming gases. But on current trends, the country's managed forests will be the source of large amounts of carbon dioxide, which will exceed its absorption.
Kurtz's estimate includes only greenhouse gases emitted directly from fires, and he said that in the coming years, about the same amount of indirect emissions will be caused when the remnants of charred trees decompose.