Wildfires

Wildfires - Nova Scotia

As of June 1, 2023, the wildfires in Nova Scotia are still burning and have forced over 18,000 people to evacuate their homes. The fires have destroyed over 200 structures, the majority of which are homes. No fatalities have been recorded. The fires are burning in several areas of the province, including Halifax, Shelburne, and Lunenburg counties. The fires are being caused by a combination of factors, including dry conditions, high winds, and human activity.

Wildfire season worldwide now starting earlier, lasting longer due to global warming

The wildfire season, typically from June to September at its peak, is starting earlier and lasting longer due to global warming across the world, as tree cover losses from wildfires have almost doubled since 2001.

Forests are acting as a net carbon sink for the world, with an absorption rate of about 7.6 billion metric tons of carbon emissions per year, 1.5 times the annual emissions of the US. To conserve the world's natural carbon sinks, the loss of forests needs to be minimized, as they are critical to tackling climate change. However, wildfires brought on by climate change are causing more tree coverage reductions.

Global Forest Watch statistics show that between 2001 and 2021, there were 318 million hectares worth of losses to the world's forest cover, of which 119 million hectares were attributable to fires. Russia, Canada and the US are the top three countries with the highest tree cover loss due to fires from 2001 to 2021.