According to recent satellite data, the ongoing wildfires in France have already released unprecedented levels of carbon into the sky.
According to the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service of the European Union, the fires, which have burned a significant portion of the southwest Gironde region, released approximately 1 million metric tonnes of carbon from June to August (CAMS).
That roughly equates to the carbon dioxide emissions produced each year by 790,000 autos.
France has averaged about 300,000 tonnes of annual carbon emissions from fires during the past 20 years.
2003, which also happened to be the year that satellite monitoring started, is the only year that has even come close to this summer’s record for France. Then, from June to August, wildfires released around 650,000 metric tonnes of carbon due to the extreme summer heat and dry conditions.
According to Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at CAMS, emissions data from southwest Europe provided a ‘reflection of the size and persistence of the flames.’ This is related to the fact that local flora and trees are more flammable due to ‘long-standing drier and warmer circumstances,’ he continued.
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