Dubai Telegraph - Wildfires caused major CO2 emissions last year: annual study

EUR -
AED 3.902662
AFN 71.721309
ALL 97.379693
AMD 411.736337
ANG 1.916033
AOA 969.546232
ARS 1060.127839
AUD 1.625131
AWG 1.914127
AZN 1.801069
BAM 1.95799
BBD 2.146602
BDT 127.04809
BGN 1.957961
BHD 0.40045
BIF 3079.178589
BMD 1.062518
BND 1.422859
BOB 7.372594
BRL 6.109269
BSD 1.063139
BTN 89.778648
BWP 14.463859
BYN 3.479155
BYR 20825.362437
BZD 2.142898
CAD 1.481204
CDF 3048.36535
CHF 0.93686
CLF 0.037964
CLP 1047.547807
CNY 7.684238
COP 4713.916414
CRC 544.034137
CUC 1.062518
CUP 28.15674
CVE 110.873467
CZK 25.383911
DJF 188.83088
DKK 7.460262
DOP 64.017024
DZD 141.785204
EGP 52.286219
ETB 129.094855
FJD 2.403428
GBP 0.833407
GEL 2.911181
GHS 17.441278
GMD 75.96944
GNF 9170.597089
GTQ 8.215576
GYD 222.406682
HKD 8.263897
HNL 26.62657
HTG 139.832992
HUF 410.833148
IDR 16783.435843
ILS 3.990905
INR 89.664885
IQD 1391.899224
IRR 44737.341364
ISK 147.509645
JMD 168.928957
JOD 0.753435
JPY 164.266469
KES 137.598404
KGS 91.590977
KHR 4308.512491
KMF 489.156922
KRW 1495.616936
KWD 0.326842
KYD 0.885933
KZT 527.584963
LAK 23332.906547
LBP 95201.656596
LKR 310.88237
LRD 196.937992
LSL 19.305457
LTL 3.137341
LVL 0.642707
LYD 5.169153
MAD 10.541246
MDL 19.030182
MGA 4930.08572
MKD 61.689003
MMK 3451.018615
MOP 8.517928
MRU 42.388737
MUR 50.055102
MVR 16.426769
MWK 1843.46991
MXN 21.859829
MYR 4.714381
MZN 67.921539
NAD 19.306154
NGN 1777.25314
NIO 39.074133
NOK 11.766909
NPR 143.645436
NZD 1.791815
OMR 0.409087
PAB 1.063139
PEN 4.025844
PGK 4.265746
PHP 62.428268
PKR 295.327037
PLN 4.352023
PYG 8306.291093
QAR 3.868364
RON 4.977046
RSD 116.988606
RUB 104.392478
RWF 1451.40026
SAR 3.992277
SBD 8.862205
SCR 14.442803
SDG 639.107629
SEK 11.579093
SGD 1.422059
SLE 24.21852
SOS 607.24094
SRD 37.43785
STD 21991.987562
SVC 9.302844
SZL 18.732581
THB 36.986341
TJS 11.300434
TMT 3.72944
TND 3.344276
TOP 2.488527
TRY 36.515562
TTD 7.224421
TWD 34.473942
TZS 2828.280754
UAH 44.030751
UGX 3906.553553
USD 1.062518
UYU 44.822246
UZS 13632.112684
VES 47.682447
VND 26934.843765
XAF 656.722488
XCD 2.871509
XDR 0.800934
XOF 646.010986
XPF 119.331742
YER 265.443696
ZAR 19.237269
ZMK 9563.943308
ZMW 28.943737
ZWL 342.130521
  • RBGPF

    0.0300

    60.22

    +0.05%

  • NGG

    -1.2400

    62.9

    -1.97%

  • RYCEF

    -0.1700

    7.16

    -2.37%

  • CMSC

    -0.1800

    24.54

    -0.73%

  • RIO

    -1.4000

    61.2

    -2.29%

  • CMSD

    -0.2100

    24.75

    -0.85%

  • AZN

    0.4000

    65.19

    +0.61%

  • SCS

    0.0200

    13.67

    +0.15%

  • RELX

    -1.2100

    46.59

    -2.6%

  • BCC

    -2.0100

    141.13

    -1.42%

  • BTI

    0.0900

    35.24

    +0.26%

  • GSK

    -0.8300

    35.52

    -2.34%

  • VOD

    -0.8500

    8.47

    -10.04%

  • JRI

    -0.3000

    13.22

    -2.27%

  • BCE

    -0.1600

    27.69

    -0.58%

  • BP

    -0.7600

    28.16

    -2.7%

Wildfires caused major CO2 emissions last year: annual study
Wildfires caused major CO2 emissions last year: annual study / Photo: Darren HULL - AFP/File

Wildfires caused major CO2 emissions last year: annual study

Wildfires made more frequent and intense by climate change released significant quantities of CO2 into the air in 2023-2024, said a first-of-its-kind annual study published Wednesday.

Text size:

Fires in natural areas caused 8.6 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions worldwide between March 2023 and February 2024 -- 16 percent above average.

Only a relatively calm fires season in the African savannah prevented the 2023-2024 season from breaking a fresh record for CO2 emissions at the global level.

These were among the conclusions in a new study, "State of Wildfires", published in the journal Earth System Science Data.

It was carried out by the University of East Anglia and other institutions based in Britain and aims to be updated on an annual basis.

Emissions from fires in Canada's boreal forests were more than nine times greater than the average over the past two decades. They contributed to almost a quarter of global emissions.

In Canada alone, the fires forced the evacuations of 232,000 people and eight firefighters lost their lives.

Other areas that also suffered included the Amazon (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela), Hawaii and Greece.

"Last year, fires killed people, destroyed homes and infrastructure, caused mass evacuations, threatened livelihoods and damaged vital ecosystems," said Matthew Jones of the University of East Anglia and lead author of the study.

"These fires are becoming more frequent and intense with climate warming, and both society and the environment are suffering the consequences."

The authors of the report concluded that climate change has made weather conditions favouring the fires more likely.

They found that human influence has increased by at least a factor of 20 the probability of weather conditions conducive to fires in the western Amazon.

If humanity continues to produce large amounts of greenhouse gas, major fires -- like those that took place last year -- will become more likely.

But nothing is set in stone.

"The risk can be minimised. It is not too late," said Jones during a presentation of the report to media.

"A low-carbon future offers a lot of respite from the risks we face in the future."

Over the past two decades as human activity has warmed the planet, the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires has more than doubled worldwide, according to a study published in June in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

A.Hussain--DT