Canada’s record-shattering 2023 wildfires produced nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions in a single season as would typically be expected over an entire decade of wildfires. As the climate crisis continues to intensify, these unprecedented fires are a stark warning of the environmental and health impacts that lie ahead if global emissions are not dramatically reduced.
The 2023 fire season in Canada was unlike any other in recorded history. The area burned was six times greater than the average year, with nearly 12 million hectares—an area roughly the size of Nicaragua—devastated by flames. These fires released approximately 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, accounting for about a quarter of the total global emissions from wildfires that year. To put this in perspective, the emissions from Canada’s wildfires alone were nearly half of the United States’ total annual emissions from all sources, which stood at 4.8 billion tonnes.
The sheer scale of these emissions underscores the growing threat posed by wildfires as the planet warms. According to a study co-led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), the United Kingdom’s Met Office, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), the extreme wildfires in Canada and parts of the Amazon were made at least three times more likely by human-driven climate change. The report’s findings are part of the State of Wildfires 2023-2024, which draws on global satellite observations, computer models, and research from regional experts.
“Last year, we saw wildfires killing people, destroying properties and infrastructure, causing mass evacuations, threatening livelihoods, and damaging vital ecosystems,” said Dr. Matthew Jones, a research fellow with UEA’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and lead author of the report. “Wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate warms, and both society and the environment are suffering from the consequences.”
Wildfires are a natural occurrence in many of the world’s hot regions, but the climate crisis is making them more frequent and severe. The report highlights how changing weather patterns, driven by rising global temperatures, have shifted fire regimes away from their natural state. In Canada, for example, the fires of 2023 were fueled by an unprecedented combination of hot, dry conditions and abundant dry vegetation, creating the perfect conditions for the fires to spread rapidly and burn with intensity.
Globally, wildfire carbon emissions reached 9.48 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2023, with Canada’s boreal forest fires contributing significantly to this total. Emissions from these fires were more than nine times above the average for the last two decades. The loss of carbon stocks in South American tropical forests and Canada’s boreal forests will have long-lasting impacts on the climate, as it takes decades to centuries for these forests to recover and sequester carbon once again.
The environmental impact of these fires is not limited to carbon emissions. The destruction of vast areas of forest cover has profound implications for biodiversity and ecosystem health. In Brazil’s Pantanal region, record-breaking fires in June 2023 devastated globally important wildlife habitats, further threatening species already at risk from habitat loss and climate change.
The human toll of the wildfires has also been severe. In Canada, more than 230,000 people were evacuated, and eight firefighters lost their lives. The fires in Amazonia led to some of the worst air quality readings on Earth, posing serious health risks to millions of people. Air pollution from wildfires, which contains harmful particulates and gases, can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, particularly in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
As wildfires become more frequent and intense, the need for effective mitigation and adaptation strategies is more urgent than ever. Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is critical to preventing the further escalation of wildfire activity. However, better land management practices are also essential. These include creating fire breaks, managing dry vegetation, and implementing early warning systems to reduce the risk of fires spreading out of control.
The report’s climate models suggest that if global emissions continue to rise, extreme wildfires will become even more frequent and intense by 2100, particularly in high-emission scenarios. “Whatever emissions scenario we follow, risks of extreme wildfires will increase in Canada, highlighting that society must not only cut emissions but also adapt to changing wildfire risks,” said Dr. Douglas Kelley, UKCEH senior fire scientist. These projections underscore the urgent need for a global response to the escalating wildfire crisis.
The 2023 wildfires are a clear signal that the world is already experiencing the dangerous effects of climate change. As Dr. Jones pointed out, “The real problem begins when you have a shift in the fire regime away from its natural state and towards more frequent and severe burning. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what we’re seeing in forests, and it’s resulting in an imbalance—immediate emissions from forest fires this decade are increasingly outweighing the delayed sinks from fires in previous decades.”
With the next fire season predicted to bring continued above-average fire weather conditions in parts of North and South America, the stakes could not be higher. The world must take immediate action to reduce emissions.
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