Boreal forest fires could release a stunning amount of carbon, scientists say
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Carly Phillips, lead author of the study and a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Western Meteorological Team, said it was a “clash of results” due to the climate crisis.
“The biggest benefit is that these fires in the Boreal areas are releasing large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, and as a result, our ability to meet climate targets is really under threat.” Phillips told CNN. “A lot is at stake.”
“It goes without saying that there are real effects for the people on earth who are going through these wildfires,” he added. “These fires have the effects of transportation, the effects of tourism, the economic effects, etc. that can be really devastating for local communities.”
The Boreal Forest, also known as “Taiga”, is the world’s largest and most intact biomass, forming a vast, dense circle of forests beneath the Arctic Circle and extending to North America, Europe. And Russia is spread over vast areas of the Northern Hemisphere. This ecosystem – along with trees like spruce, pine and fur – makes up about one-third of all the world’s forests.
“One of the most challenging and interesting things about forest fires right now is that they’re both drivers of climate change and climate change,” Phillips said.
The study notes that Alaska’s boreal forest burn area could increase by 169% by 2050, while Canadian boreal burn area could increase by 150%.
Phillips says his findings are a potentially conservative estimate, given that he did not estimate the rapid permafrost melting and other harmful greenhouse gases emitted from the fire, including methane and nitrous oxide. Which raises the ambient temperature.
“We know that the effects of wildfires in these areas are such that permafrost may have implications for melting and, as a result, exposure and release of this ancient stored carbon,” he said. ۔ “Secondly, we are only calculating direct emissions from the fire and then re-emergence, but we are not calculating the rot that can occur after a fire.”
Nevertheless, Phillips and his colleagues found that North America’s boreal forests receive disproportionately little funding for fire management efforts. According to the report, Alaska accounts for about 20% of the country’s burn area and half of its annual fire emissions, yet the state receives an average of only 4% of federal fire management funding.
Phillips said: “We are now seeing the smoke from these fires spread around the world, and this in fact indicates that it is a global problem, while some of the most damaging effects are local. ” “The effects of these fires are of global significance. And this is an opportunity for us to address the emissions from the heat that is coming out of these wildfires.”
