In 2022, emissions from vegetation fires decreased globally but recorded a worrying surge in Europe and America, due to extreme heat waves and prolonged drought.
This is indicated by data from the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS), implemented by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (Ecmwf) on behalf of the European Union.
The latest bulletin, updated at the beginning of December, estimates that around 1455 megatons of carbon emissions have been produced on a global scale this year due to vegetation fires.
This is part of a continued decline in total global emissions due to declining savanna fires in the tropics.
"However, we also continue to identify and monitor a significant increase in wildfire emissions in different parts of the world, where hotter, drier conditions are leading to increased flammability of vegetation," says Cams expert Mark Parrington.
For the European Union and the United Kingdom, summer 2022 (June 1-August 31) fire-related emissions were the highest since the 2007 summer season. This was particularly worrying in some regions of France, Spain and Portugal, where total emissions for the same period were the highest in 20 years and led to a deterioration in local air quality.
Other regions that saw a significant increase in emissions from vegetation fires this year were North and South America.
Between January and March, some regions of Paraguay and Argentina experienced record emissions for the period of the year.
In June and July, large and persistent wildfires raged in Alaska and the Northwestern and Yukon Territories of Canada, resulting in smoke being carried into the Arctic Circle.
Meanwhile, the Amazon in Brazil experienced the highest total July-August wildfire emissions in 20 years.