Last year, Canada saw a series of catastrophic wildfires across the country, with 15 million hectares — about 4% of Canada's total forest area — burned and more than 200,000 people displaced, according to a study published Aug. 28 in the journal Nature.
Looking at satellite data of smoke plumes from fires that took place between May and September of last year, researchers determined that 2,371 megatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) were released, moving Canada from 11th to fourth place among the world's largest carbon emitters, behind China, the United States and India.
Flames rise along the edge of a wildfire near Mistissini, Quebec, Canada, June 12, 2023. Photo: Cpl Marc-Andre Leclerc
Researchers warn that the hot, dry weather that causes these wildfires is predicted to become the norm by the 2050s and is “likely to increase wildfires”.
“This raises concerns about whether more frequent and intense wildfires in the coming decades will undermine the role of Canadian forests as carbon sinks,” said Brendan Byrne, lead author of the study.
Canada’s boreal forest, a vast swath of forest stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic, contains large amounts of sequestered CO2. As burned forests regrow decades later, the CO2 released from the fires is often reabsorbed.
However, the increase in the size and number of annual fires, combined with drought in some areas, could mean that forests take longer to grow back, which “could inhibit the carbon uptake of forests,” the study said.
Canada will have to reduce its fossil fuel emissions allowance to “compensate for the reduced carbon uptake by forests,” the report concludes. Canada agreed under the Paris agreement to reduce its carbon emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
According to Government of Canada figures, Canada's total CO2 equivalent emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 2022 are 708 megatonnes.
Canada's wildfires have been more contained this year, but they have still caused catastrophic damage in some areas. In July, the popular tourist town of Jasper in the western province of Alberta was partially destroyed by wildfires.
As of August 28, Canada has had 732 fires since the beginning of the year, of which 136 are out of control.
Ngoc Anh (according to AFP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chay-rung-day-canada-vao-top-4-quoc-gia-phat-thai-co2-post309993.html
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