Wildfires and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Boreal Forests [UPSC Notes]

According to a report by researchers, wildfires in boreal forests released 1.76 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in the year 2021. In this context, what is the relation between wildfires and greenhouse gas emissions? How does it impact the climate and the environment at large? In this article, you can read about the correlation between wildfires and GHG emissions for the UPSC exam environment & ecology segment.

Wildfires in Boreal Forests and Carbon Emissions

• The amount of carbon dioxide released through wildfires in boreal forests is significant and a cause for worry as it will harden the efforts to mitigate climate change.
  • Boreal forests, also known as the Taiga, is the northernmost and coldest forests on earth, dominated by species of evergreen conifers spruce, fir and pine, the deciduous conifer larch, and species of birch and aspen. It occurs in vast tracts across Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and northeastern China.
• According to scientists, the release amount of greenhouse gas from boreal forests is even more than the release of greenhouse gasses from the aviation sector.
• It is important to note that boreal forests store about one-third of the world’s land-based carbon.
• Boreal forests are present in the south of the Arctic region and are part of the Taiga forest biome.
• The emissions are cause for worry as boreal forests store twice the amount of carbon in their land and trees as tropical forests. 

Cause of Wildfires in the Boreal Region:

• One of the important factors cited is climate change which is causing the taiga to warm twice as faster as the global average.
• In this context, wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity leading to the release of trapped carbon which furthers the vicious cycle of climate change.
• The wildfires also coincided with heat waves and droughts in the taiga regions of northern Canada and Siberia which is also a more probable result of worsening climate change impact.
• According to scientists, drier and hotter conditions of the region coupled with climate change have increased the risk of wildfire and the fire risk of vegetation.
• Analysis of satellite data on carbon emissions from boreal forests in 2021 reveals a shocking rate of 23 percent of all the CO2 emitted by wildfires around the world.
• In comparison, the average rate of release of carbon between the years 2000-2021 is about 10 per cent only.

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