Wildfires

Wildfires - Boreal Forests

Wildfires in the boreal forests that ring the globe’s far northern latitudes are emitting rapidly increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, according to an international study using new satellite technology.

Burning boreal forests across Eurasia and North America in 2021 released a record 1.76bn tonnes of CO₂ — representing 23 per cent of the world’s entire CO₂ emissions from fire.

While tropical forest fires had attracted much attention, as a result of deforestation, boreal forests were relatively overlooked. This was despite them being one of the most extensive and important biomes on Earth and being at threat from warming that is occurring much faster in the Arctic region than the rest of the planet.