Scientists have analyzed the global forest fires of 2021 – and bad news: the fires caused twice as much CO₂ as Germany produces per year.
The global forest fires released significantly more carbon dioxide this year than in the past. The fires in Siberia , Canada , the USA and Turkey destroyed so many trees that an estimated 1,760 megatons of CO 2 were released into the atmosphere. This corresponds to roughly double the amount that Germany produces per year, reports the Guardian.
To analyze forest fires and their consequences, scientists from the atmosphere monitoring service Copernicus have been evaluating satellite images of active fires since 2003. The heat output is measured, from which conclusions can be drawn about the emissions. The experts had already reported new record values in the summer.
One of the biggest fires this year was the Dixie fire in California , the most devastating in the history of the US state. An estimated 83 megatons of carbon dioxide were released into the atmosphere.