Wildfires in the expansive forests of Canada, Europe and the far Northern US could release an enormous amount of greenhouse gases between now and 2050, putting the world’s climate goals at risk.
A new study found that wildfires in the North American boreal forests could release nearly 12 gigatons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere over the next three decades. That is equivalent to the annual emissions of 2.6 billion fossil fuel-powered cars.
The boreal forest, also known as the taiga, is the world’s largest and most intact biome, forming a vast, dense ring of woodlands situated below the Arctic circle and spanning great tracts of the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe and Russia. This ecosystem makes up about one-third of all forests on earth.
The boreal forests store roughly 30 to 40% of all land based carbon in the world, mostly in its soil. The cold temperatures in the northern hemisphere prevent dead biomass from breaking down, storing carbon for thousands of years deep in the permafrost.
Due to climate change and increasing forest fires, many researchers are worried that the boreal could reach a tipping point where they shift from absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to emitting it.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/world/boreal-forest-wildfires-carbon-climate/index.html