Emissions from Canadian wildfires are the highest on record, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s satellite-based Earth monitoring system..Since May, Canadian wildfires in all regions of the country emitted about 160 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent — roughly equal to the entire emissions of the Netherlands annually— the highest in its 21 years of monitoring. . Canada forest fire emissionsCanada’s emissions from fire smoke went off the charts. .By comparison, Canada’s total emissions of greenhouse gas — which exclude natural disasters such as fires — were about 670 megatonnes in 2021, according to Statistics Canada. It’s also more than all the emissions from Canada’s transportation sector, which were about 150 megatonnes..Earlier this week smoke from fires in Quebec reached continental Europe, along with high values of aerosol and carbon monoxide, Copernicus said in a news release..According to senior scientist Mark Parrington: “Our monitoring of the scale and persistence of the wildfire emissions across Canada since early May has shown how unusual it has been when compared to the two decades of our dataset.”.Unlike smoke that reached the Southern US, the trans-Atlantic plume isn’t expected to generate any health effects among EU citizens. Long-range transport of smoke, such as this episode, tend to occur at higher altitudes where the atmospheric lifetime of air pollutants is longer, which means they are manifested more as hazy skies with red/orange sunsets, it said..“The long-range transport of smoke that we are currently monitoring is not unusual, and not expected to have any significant impact on surface air quality in Europe, but it is a clear reflection of the intensity of the fires that such high values of aerosol optical depth and other pollutants associated with the plume are so high as it reaches this side of the Atlantic,” he added..Nonetheless, it has increased a common perception of Canada as a climate change laggard —even though this country barely accounts for 1% of global emissions..British news outlets were keen to jump on that admission from Canada’s prime minister himself..“We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change,” tweeted Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which was dutifully reposted by the euronews.green website..Even Islamabad, Pakistan-based Global Village Space weighed in: “As smoke from the fires reaches Europe, the global community is beginning to realize the far-reaching impacts of these infernos. With record-breaking emissions of carbon and the potential dangers to air quality, urgent action is needed to address the underlying causes and mitigate the effects of these wildfires..“Canada’s record-breaking wildfires in 2023 unleashed unprecedented levels of carbon emissions and posed a significant threat to air quality. The global community must recognize the far-reaching implications of these fires and take immediate action to address the underlying causes,” it added..A 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that dry, windy and hot weather conditions, which increase the chances of fire taking hold, will become more common in some places, including Atlantic Canada and the US, as climate change worsens..Canada’s forests are considered a massive carbon sink. Toronto-based Nature United estimates they store about 208 billion tonnes of carbon, or about 11% of the world’s total.
Emissions from Canadian wildfires are the highest on record, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s satellite-based Earth monitoring system..Since May, Canadian wildfires in all regions of the country emitted about 160 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent — roughly equal to the entire emissions of the Netherlands annually— the highest in its 21 years of monitoring. . Canada forest fire emissionsCanada’s emissions from fire smoke went off the charts. .By comparison, Canada’s total emissions of greenhouse gas — which exclude natural disasters such as fires — were about 670 megatonnes in 2021, according to Statistics Canada. It’s also more than all the emissions from Canada’s transportation sector, which were about 150 megatonnes..Earlier this week smoke from fires in Quebec reached continental Europe, along with high values of aerosol and carbon monoxide, Copernicus said in a news release..According to senior scientist Mark Parrington: “Our monitoring of the scale and persistence of the wildfire emissions across Canada since early May has shown how unusual it has been when compared to the two decades of our dataset.”.Unlike smoke that reached the Southern US, the trans-Atlantic plume isn’t expected to generate any health effects among EU citizens. Long-range transport of smoke, such as this episode, tend to occur at higher altitudes where the atmospheric lifetime of air pollutants is longer, which means they are manifested more as hazy skies with red/orange sunsets, it said..“The long-range transport of smoke that we are currently monitoring is not unusual, and not expected to have any significant impact on surface air quality in Europe, but it is a clear reflection of the intensity of the fires that such high values of aerosol optical depth and other pollutants associated with the plume are so high as it reaches this side of the Atlantic,” he added..Nonetheless, it has increased a common perception of Canada as a climate change laggard —even though this country barely accounts for 1% of global emissions..British news outlets were keen to jump on that admission from Canada’s prime minister himself..“We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change,” tweeted Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which was dutifully reposted by the euronews.green website..Even Islamabad, Pakistan-based Global Village Space weighed in: “As smoke from the fires reaches Europe, the global community is beginning to realize the far-reaching impacts of these infernos. With record-breaking emissions of carbon and the potential dangers to air quality, urgent action is needed to address the underlying causes and mitigate the effects of these wildfires..“Canada’s record-breaking wildfires in 2023 unleashed unprecedented levels of carbon emissions and posed a significant threat to air quality. The global community must recognize the far-reaching implications of these fires and take immediate action to address the underlying causes,” it added..A 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that dry, windy and hot weather conditions, which increase the chances of fire taking hold, will become more common in some places, including Atlantic Canada and the US, as climate change worsens..Canada’s forests are considered a massive carbon sink. Toronto-based Nature United estimates they store about 208 billion tonnes of carbon, or about 11% of the world’s total.
