Energy & Science
Fires in Australia to Push Rise in Global CO2 Levels to Record
Forests have absorbed less carbon than average in the past two years.
A resident looks at the remains of her home that was burned out by wildfires near Lake Conjola, New South Wales on Jan. 15.
Photographer: David Gray/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Wildfires burning across Australia probably will push the increase in global carbon dioxide levels past their record this year.
The Met Office, which is Britain’s official forecaster, said the unprecedented fires raging in Australia may have an influence on weather patterns and global ecosystems this year. Most recent estimates suggest that fires on the driest inhabited continent will release about 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere— about the same emitted by all commercial aircraft in 2018.