Climate Record-high CO2 emissions from forest fires in North and South America
Devastating forest fires caused by prolonged drought in North and South America have led to record-high CO2 emissions in several South American countries this year. Millions of hectares of forest have been destroyed, according to the EU Earth Observation Program.
06.12.2024, 00:04
SDA
As the Atmospheric Monitoring Service of the EU's Copernicus Earth Observation Program (Cams) announced on Thursday, the fires destroyed millions of hectares of forest and farmland in the Amazon region, Canada and the western United States. In addition, the drought exacerbated by climate change accelerated the fires in the world's largest wetland, the Pantanal, which is shared by Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.
According to Cams, the massive fires in South America also had an impact on air quality on a "continental scale". Huge plumes of smoke have enveloped major cities such as Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo this year; the air there was polluted for several weeks due to the heavy smoke.
"Historic" scale
The extent of some of the fires has reached "historic dimensions", explained Cams expert Mark Parrington. This applies in particular to Bolivia, the Pantanal and parts of the Amazon region. According to the scientist, the fires in the Canadian forests were once again "extreme".
In the Pantanal, there was "unprecedented forest fire activity" in 2024, which, according to Cams, poses a serious threat to the ecosystem and its biodiversity. According to the EU program, Nicaragua recorded the highest carbon emissions from fires ever. In Bolivia, annual carbon emissions were well above the previous record.
