London, Sept. 22 (BUS): Devastating bushfires in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere this summer have caused record carbon emissions, according to the European Union Climate Watch.
Carbon emissions reached their highest levels in July and August since records began in 2003, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said on Tuesday.
In July, the fires released about 1,258.8 megatons of carbon dioxide worldwide, according to estimates. The German News Agency (DPA) reported that this level rose to 1384.6 megatons in August.
The fires burned with unprecedented intensity and for much longer than usual.
Wildfires burning in the United States and Siberia emitted more than half of the carbon in July and August, with 970 megatons of carbon dioxide released in Russia alone from June to August. Most of them were in the Yakutia region and the Chukchi Autonomous Region.
However, wildfires have also been burning in the Arctic and in many parts of the Mediterranean.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes due to wildfires in Greece, Turkey, Italy, France and Spain, among other countries. Emergency crews struggled to prevent further damage, but were hampered by drought and unusually hot weather in many places.
Scientists’ estimates are based on satellite imagery assessments of active fires. They measure heat output to infer emission levels.
HF