(ANSA) – ROME, AUGUST 14 – Extreme fires, like those that burned vast areas of Canada between the spring and summer of 2023, will become increasingly frequent and intense by 2100 due to climate change: this is stated in the first edition of an annual report that takes stock of this phenomenon, published in the journal Earth System Science Data and drawn up by the University of East Anglia, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the UK Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Among the areas most at risk, especially if greenhouse gas emissions remain at high levels, are Canada, which will see the probability of catastrophic events increase by six times, the western Amazon and Greece, which will see the frequency of similar fires triple and double respectively.
The report found that CO2 emissions from fires recorded between March 2023 and February 2024 were 16% higher than average, totaling 8.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. Fires in Canadian forests in particular contributed nearly a quarter of global emissions. It also found that the vast extent of fires in Canada and the Amazon was almost certainly amplified by ongoing climate change.
“Fires are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate warms, and both society and the environment are suffering the consequences,” says Matthew Jones of the University of East Anglia, who coordinated the researchers. For the coming season, forecasts still suggest a higher-than-average likelihood of extreme fires, especially in parts of North and South America, due to hot, dry and windy weather conditions that are conducive to the ignition of these phenomena. (ANSA).
2024-08-14 13:22:13