Fires are now destroying twice as much forest cover globally as they did at the turn of the century.
In fact, compared to 2001, forest fires now ravage approximately 3 million hectares more each year, an area equivalent to that of Belgium, according to satellite data compiled by the Global Forest Watch (GFW), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland.
70% of the surfaces devoured by the flames in 20 years concern the boreal forests, which cover a large part of Russia, Canada and Alaska, and which constitute among the largest carbon sinks on the planet.
In Russia, 53 million hectares have burned since 2001, almost the size of France.
Read alsoForest fires doubled in the world in 20 years
Fires, according to the study, account for more than a quarter of the total loss of forest cover since the turn of the century, with the rest caused by deforestation or other natural causes (storms and floods).
In the end, the…
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