Carbon Emissions From Wildfires in Canada This Year Have Already Doubled Previous Annual Record

Canadian wildfires have released 290 megatonnes of carbon emissions from January to July 2023, already breaking the previous annual high of 138 megatonnes of carbon emissions in 2014 by more than double, according to Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service. The emissions for this year are set to keep rising as fires continue to blaze, with fire season typically spanning from May to October.

Canada’s wildfire emissions this year make up about 25% of global total emissions from wildfires, Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service reported. Major wildfires are currently burning across the country. 

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there are 1,052 wildfires burning in Canada, with 666 of these fires considered “out of control” burns. The fires are particularly affecting British Columbia and Northwest Territories, and most of Canada’s territories have been impacted by wildfires since May. Wildfires are also affecting the Arctic Circle, the service reported.

“We have been monitoring the emissions from wildfires right across Canada for three months since the beginning of May, during which time they have continued to increase almost continuously to a level which is already considerably higher than the previous annual total fire emissions for Canada in our dataset,” Mark Parrington, senior scientist with the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service, said in a statement. “As fire emissions from boreal regions typically peak at the end of July and early August, the total is still likely to continue rising for some more weeks and we will continue to monitor.” 

The wildfires in Canada have contributed to poor air quality around the country and in the U.S. for months, and by the end of June, emissions for the first six months of the year had already surpassed the record high, reaching 160 megatonnes. The 2023 fire season has also hit a record high for the amount of area burned, with over 131,000 square kilometers burned, Reuters reported.

Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service noted that climate change was contributing to conditions that raise the chances of longer fire seasons, and rapidly increasing surface air temperatures in the Arctic could also be playing a part in the record-breaking fires.

“In recent years we have seen significant wildfires in the Northern Hemisphere, but this year’s fire activity in Canada is highly unusual,” Parrington explained. “The weather has played a part, with warm and dry conditions increasing the flammability of vegetation and increasing the risk of large-scale fires. We support users in mitigating the impacts through monitoring the fire activity and intensity, and the emitted smoke.”