Canada's Wildfires Release 1 Bln Tons of carbon Dioxide

This year's historic forest fires in Canada have resulted in the emission of over a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to estimates from Canadian authorities released on Friday.

This staggering figure is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of Japan, the world's fifth-largest polluter, which emitted about 1.12 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2021.

It even surpasses the annual emissions of the global aviation sector in 2022, estimated at around 0.8 billion metric tons of CO2.

Michael Norton, the Director-General of the Canadian Forest Service, described this summer as a "true marathon" as the western part of the country prepares for another heatwave.

It is anticipated that the risk of fires will remain "higher than usual" until September.

Data from the Copernicus European Observatory indicated that carbon emissions from fires in Canada reached unprecedented levels, more than double the previous annual record set in 2014.

As massive fires have raged across the country this season, many provinces have witnessed astonishingly high numbers.

Canada has been on extreme wildfire alert for a record-breaking 90 days.

Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, stated during a press conference in Vancouver, that This year's wildfire season has been instructive, pinpointing climate change as the "primary driver."

These fires have already consumed approximately 13.5 million hectares, twice the record-breaking area burned in 1989, which stood at 7.3 million hectares, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.