Wildfires in Canada have broken another record – this time in terms of greenhouse gas emissions that trap heat.
Climate change has led to Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season this year. To date, wildfires in Canada have already produced more than double the previous annual record level of emissions. Greg Evans, an air pollution and public health expert at the University of Toronto, said the emissions create a “feedback loop”.
“The additional release of carbon dioxide will lead to further warming, which will lead to additional drought and more wildfires,” Evans said.
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Between January 1 and July 31, Canadian wildfires emitted about 290 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to warming the planet, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), the European Union’s Earth observation program, compared to the annual emissions from more than 77 coal-fired power plants.
That’s well over a third of the 672 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent Canada emitted in 2020. It’s also more than double the previous annual record, according to CAMS, when Canadian wildfires emitted 138 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2014.
The increasing frequency and intensity of forest fires is linked to climate change. Wildfires have been burning increasing areas of Canada’s northwestern boreal forest each year since the 1950s. According to Natural Resources Canada, part of this increase is due to climate change, which is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.
Natural Resources Canada says on its website that climate change is expected to cause wildfires in the boreal forests to become more frequent. Natural Resources Canada adds that hot and dry conditions, which increase the likelihood of wildfires, are expected to increase across Canada.
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In a statement earlier this month, Federal Secretary of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson blamed climate change for the “worst wildfire season on record”.
CAMS experts attribute the severity of this year’s wildfires to a combination of warm and dry weather and warm-weather-inducing El Niño conditions.
Climate change has led to Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season this year. To date, wildfires in Canada have produced more than double the previous record annual level of emissions. #THGs
In a press release, CAMS senior scientist Mark Parrington said fire emissions from Canada’s northern regions typically peak in July and continue through early August. He said emissions are likely to rise further in the coming weeks.
“In recent years we have seen significant wildfires in the northern hemisphere, but this year’s fire activity in Canada is highly unusual,” Parrington said.
Environment Canada’s senior climatologist David Phillips said the intensity of the wildfires was likely exacerbated by warmer water temperatures along Canada’s coasts. He added that a winter that was two degrees warmer on average across the country could have made forests more vulnerable to fires.
“We didn’t have spring. “We went from slush to sweating,” said Phillips. “The snow was disappearing quickly and the trees weren’t green yet, and that was a critical situation for the Alberta fires.”
Instead of El Niño, warm water temperatures were largely responsible for higher temperatures in Canada this year, according to Phillips.
“I actually think El Niño is a bit over the top in terms of this summer,” Phillips said. “The decisive factor is the very warm water temperatures.”
Wildfires have already burned a record area this year, with more than 100,000 square kilometers burned as of July 17. This number is increasing rapidly. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, as of Aug. 3, 5,145 wildfires were burning across more than 130,000 square kilometers.
In addition to warming the planet, emissions from wildfires also affect human health. Evans said wildfires make people more prone to asthma attacks or heart attacks. He added that long-term smoke exposure may also make people more vulnerable in times of poor air quality in the future.
“Parts of Canada are experiencing unprecedented poor air quality,” Evans said. “Canada generally has very good air quality in many places – something we’ve enjoyed for a long time – and it’s a shame we’re going backwards so quickly.”
Evans added that emissions, like the planet-warming gases from these wildfires, stay in the atmosphere for 40 years.
“It’s so important to take action now to turn things around,” Evans said. “It is something that our grandchildren will inherit. It’s not like we can turn it off and things will get better.”