Canadian wildfires surpass top polluting nations in carbon emissions

By Ecem Sahinli Oguc

A recent study by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has revealed that the wildfires in Canada last year released more carbon into the atmosphere than some of the world's largest polluting nations.

The study, led by researcher Brendan Byrne, found that the 2023 wildfires in Canada emitted a staggering 647 megatons of carbon. This level of emissions ranks Canada fourth globally in carbon output, surpassing all but three countries: India, China, and the US.

Remarkably, the carbon released by these fires exceeded the annual emissions from fossil fuels in countries like Russia and Japan in 2022.

Byrne noted that the fires, which scorched approximately 4% of Canada’s forests, were fueled by increasingly hot and dry weather conditions.

He warned that the frequency, intensity, and scale of such wildfires are likely to grow in the coming years due to climate change.

The study's findings were published in the journal Nature.