Record emissions from wildfires across the Americas in 2024

Wildfires in regions across North and South America released more  emissions in July than any other July in recorded history — specifically in Alberta, California, Bolivia, and the the tropical forest zone of the Amazon River basin — according to the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).

“CAMS estimates emissions from wildfires and vegetation fires around the world based on satellite observations of fire radiative power in its Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS), combining FRP observations from different satellite sensors to estimate a number of emissions related to wildfires,” according to the Service.

Alberta’s total estimated carbon emissions in July are the highest of any July in the CAMS Global Fire Assimilation System dataset, which has recorded emissions for the past 21 years. Canada as a whole recorded increased emissions through July and is approaching the highest annual totals estimated for any year before 2023, which had by far the highest emissions ever recorded in the country. Fire intensity s in British Columbia and Saskatchewan has also increased throughout July, while more wildfires developed in the Yukon and Northwest Territories in mid-July.

CAMS

California’s Park Fire, the state’s fourth-largest wildfire on record, made July the most emissions-heavy July on CAMS’ record. Oregon’s emissions are near the highest of July totals after fires burned nearly 500,000 hectares (1,235,527 acres) across the state, which local officials say is four times the seasonal average. Notable fires and emissions in Alaska persisted through late June and early July, but have since greatly reduced. CAMS has also recorded increased wildfire emissions in Washington, Montana, and Colorado.

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Wildfires in South America increased in both intensity and frequency through the second half of July. Amazonas’ total estimated emissions in July were much higher than any other recorded year — three times higher than in 2023 and 2022. The neighboring state of Rondonia also recorded the highest in the CAMS dataset.

CAMS3

South America’s highest wildfire activity was in Bolivia and areas of the Brazilian Amazon. Bolivian government officials said a record 11,576 active fires burned in the region on July 24, with 165,999 fires detected since the start of July. Brazilian authorities also estimated this was the worst July in two decades with more than 22,000 active wildfires. Wildfire increases occurred around two weeks earlier than usual during fire season in the region, which historically has peaked in August and September.

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Brazil’s above-average emissions are caused in part by wildfires burning across the Pantanal wetlands. The world’s largest tropical wetland and biodiversity haven has marked record-breaking wildfires this year, just four years after similar fires burned 13,300 acres of the preserve.

READ MORE: World’s largest tropical wetland burned this year

 

India records lowest number of wildfires since 2020

The Forest Service of India (FSI) recently reported a record-low number of wildfires in the country this year.

The country’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said a total of 203,544 forest fires burned in the country between November 2023 and June 2024, the lowest number of wildfires in the same period over the past four years. The ministry made the announcement at a recent session of Parliament.

“Forest fires in India are detected using satellite-based sensors called the SNPP-VIIRS (Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership – Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite),” according to The Print. “Along with that, the FSI also has a monitoring and alert system in place that sends SMSes and emails to registered users in the event of a fire.”

Past numbers mark a steady decline from a historic high wildfire total of 345,989 between November 2020 and June 2021. The ministry also released state-by-state data, which showed Uttarakhand to have the highest number of wildfires this year at 21,033 — followed by Odisha at 20,973.

India fire numbers

MoEFCC attributed the declining wildfire totals to India’s National Disaster Management Authority’s training of three disaster relief battalions to specifically deal with forest fires. There are 150 people spread across the three teams’ locations who are sent to fight forest fires.

The country’s government earlier faced criticism from experts regarding its wildfire response and its attempt to pivot blame away from systemic issues and solely toward forest duff and pine litter.


READ MORE: India state’s officials blame pine trees for wildfire severity. Experts say that isn’t the full story.

 

MoEFCC did not cite estimates on the loss of forest or wildlife caused by wildfires in the country, data that has been previously asked for by experts.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi published a study in 2023 outlining how climate change will negatively affect future fire weather danger in Indian forests. The study projected then that India would see a 60 percent increase in fire weather danger in dry forests with a 40 percent reduction in humid forests. The fire season is also estimated to be longer (by 3 to 61 days) across the country and pre-monsoon fire season is predicted to become more intense in over 55 percent of forests. The study’s findings led researchers to call specifically for changes in how wildfires are tracked and fought at the regional level.

“India is a known biodiversity hotspot, and this biodiversity is affected by forest fires that play a critical role in ecosystem dynamics,” researchers said. “This study clearly demonstrates that there is considerable heterogeneity in the fire danger between and even within forest zones. Hence, a national uniform threshold for fire danger is not advisable. Fire management and mitigation policies must be based on local-regional level metrics.”

Australian and New Zealand firefighters head to Canada as part of years-long partnership

The British Columbia Wildfire Service recently welcomed a group of 60 IMT members and specialized personnel from Australia and New Zealand to assist throughout the province. Another 30 went to Alberta.

The firefighters arrived in Canada as part of a years-long partnership through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

“The relationship between the B.C. Wildfire Service and Australia is  longstanding, extending more than 15 years of mutual aid, support, and knowledge transfer,” they said. “The first instances of support started during the 2007 wildfire season in Australia, when B.C. assisted by sending more than 60 personnel to support fire suppression efforts.”

Firefighters from Down Under in Canada
Staff from Australia and New Zealand in B.C. before traveling to their initial Canadian
assignments. ~BC Wildfire Service

CIFFC is a not-for-profit group operated by Canadian wildland fire management partners and shares resources and mutual aid throughout the nation and internationally using the Canadian Interagency Mutual Aid Resource Sharing (MARS) Agreement — and the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council during wildfire seasons. CIFFC has a similar agreement with the U.S.

During the catastrophic 2021 season in British Columbia, the B.C. Wildfire Service was able to rely on these arrangements to request support from other Canadian provinces, the federal government, Mexico and Australia. CIFFC supports this coordination of resources.

current Canada fires

Fire officials attribute the strong relationship between the nations to a shared understanding of how to approach emergency management.

“The agencies operate similarly in terms of warning systems, collaboration, and information sharing. We share a lot in common when it comes to fire behavior as well. Large bushfires and wildfires that can cause significant impact to close-by communities and property, hot dry and windy conditions, and fires with ability to grow quickly are not uncommon for the two nations.”

Nine of the 90 total firefighters came from the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), according to the South Australian government; the deployment could last up to 40 days.

“I feel humbled and honored to have this opportunity to travel to Canada to support their firefighters in a time of need and to deploy the skills I have learned over the years and to learn some new ones,” CFS Divisional Commander Phil Tapscott said. “These opportunities always reaffirm that what we do here in the CFS is of a very high quality.”

Around 883 wildfires have burned in British Columbia since the beginning of the year, according to the BC Wildfire Service list. Of those, 349 are still burning and 211 are considered out of control; 16 evacuation orders in 2024 have been issued.

Alberta has recorded 927 wildfires this year, 161 of which are labeled “active” and 53 of which are “out of control,” according to the province’s wildfire status dashboard.

Briefing on working in B.C., topics from   radio communications to safety around wildlife.
Briefing on working in B.C., topics from radio communications to safety around wildlife.    ~BC Wildfire Service

in wildfire management

Russia declares multiple states of emergency as wildfires threaten thousands, government inaction continues

Multiple wildfires across Russia have caused officials to issue multiple states of emergency and evacuate thousands, while government officials are accused of largely ignoring the problem.

The latest state of emergency was issued by Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko on July 14, according to the Kyiv Independent. The city in southern Russia was forced to evacuate around 500 people from the fire that burned at least 153 acres as of July 15. More than 300 people, including workers from the Emergency Situations Ministry, were fighting the fire.

Two other regions declared wildfire-driven states of emergency at the beginning of July,  a Reuters article reported. The Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, declared a federal state of emergency for wildfires on July 1. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported more than 107 registered wildfires burned more than 331,000 hectares (~818,000 acres) in the region.

The governor of the remote Siberian region of Tuva made the declaration on the same day as Sakha after a wildfire burned around 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) driven by intense heat, strong winds, and dry thunderstorms.

“At the moment, 23 forest fires have been registered on the territory of the republic,” said Vladislav Khovalyg, head of the Tuva region. “Most of them are in inaccessible mountainous areas. July as a whole promises to be the most difficult month in terms of the fire situation, and we have to fight for every hectare of forest.”

Experts warned that the nation was unprepared for an alarming wildfire season. The Moscow Times reported that limited state capacity for fire prevention and control, along with ongoing dry grass burning practices, worried experts of the potential for the season to turn into an annual crisis.

The “official indifference” was seen in real-time during the Siberia wildfires, which have burned an area the size of Normandy since the beginning of the year, French newspaper Le Monde reported. While the Russian government is preoccupied with its incursion into Ukraine, officials are neglecting necessary resources to fight wildfires burning throughout the nation.

“The problem is not just in the forest and its poor management,” an Irkutsk resident told Le Monde. “It’s largely in the heads of the people and the authorities, who don’t want to see it or fight it.”

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported more than 107 registered wildfires burned more than 331,000 hectares (~818,000 acres) in the region.

Russia’s wildfire problem is exacerbated by Earth’s changing climate. Recent research has shown wildfires will worsen in the coming years, even in areas where wildfires are currently rare, such as Russia’s alpine regions. Smoke from the worsening wildfires, e.g. in Siberia, is projected to cause thousands of deaths and billions in costs for East Asia.

RELATED: Climate change will make wildfires worse, even in areas that don’t have wildfires today

The colors on the Russian Hydrometeorological Center’s map below represent the number of days of predicted “high” and “extreme” fire danger in April, according to the Moscow Times. The purple indicates less than one day, the yellow between one and three days, pink between four and six days, red between seven and nine days, and dark red over ten days.

Russian fire map
Russian fire map

Indigenous knowledge to be used in future Australian bushfire research

Australia’s National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week started on July 7 with a commitment from bushfire researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Canberra City.

The university has previously published numerous articles of landmark research on bushfires, including creating the world’s first extreme bushfire warning system, developing the first fire-retardant paint that passes the stringent BAL-40 test, and studying the long-lasting impacts of Australia’s “Black Summer” Bushfires.

University researchers have made a new commitment to future bushfire projects, vowing to incorporate more Indigenous practices.

“UNSW Canberra researchers are working to better incorporate Indigenous practices and understandings of fire in bushfire management, to better prepare for an increasingly uncertain future thanks to climate change,” a press release from the university said.

bushfires

Similar to the practices of various Native American tribes, fire played an intrinsic role in the lives of Australia’s Indigenous communities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for countless generations, and is still in use today.

Small controlled fires help them hunt, clear pathways through bush, and regenerate vegetation, according to The Nature Conservancy. “Cool Burns” have recently made a comeback after centuries of Euro-Australian suppression diminished the practice, caused by early colonizers’ view of fire as only a threat rather than a land-management practice. The loss of managed fire on Australia’s landscape, along with climate change, is a direct contributor to the severe bushfires that have burned the country since.

UNSW Bushfire Director Jason Sharples, a member of the Aboriginal Bundjalung people, said Indigenous fire knowledge adds needed depth to modern bushfire research.

“Local Indigenous people would know the land was ready for a burn when certain environmental indicators aligned, for example, when wattle flowers fell and when certain cloud formations were observed over prominent mountains,” Sharples said.

“Essentially, Country told them the right time to burn, and the people would offer fire as a gift back to Country. From a Western scientific perspective, this aligns with selecting the correct season based on the native flora, and only burning on a day when temperature and relative humidity conditions are within an acceptable range, as indicated by the cloud formations.”

UNSW is already working on two projects with the commitment to Indigenous practices in mind. One of the projects is studying how ridgelines, which correspond closely with Indigenous Songlines, cause unique wind patterns and influence fire spread. The other project compares modern bushfire regimes in southeast Australia with traditional fire regimes, Indigenous calendars, and cultural fire lore to better understand how climate change will affect future bushfires.

The university’s commitment pairs well with this year’s NAIDOC theme: “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.” The theme conveys the strength and vitality of the nation’s Indigenous cultures which have stayed alive for generations despite historic and ongoing oppression and persecution.

“NAIDOC Week is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of promoting the cultural practices and learnings of Indigenous Australians and this will remain central to the work we do within UNSW Bushfire,” Sharples said.

 

 

India state’s officials blame pine trees for wildfire severity. Experts say that isn’t the full story.

An article written by The Wire author Hridayesh Joshi breaks down systemic issues facing the wildland firefighting force in Uttarakhand, India.

More than 1,200 forest fires burned this year in Uttarakhand and claimed the lives of at least ten people, including some forest guards. In response, state officials have orchestrated a statewide campaign against pine tree litter, called “Pirul Lao-Praise Pao,” or “Bring Pine Litter, Take Away  Money.” The program incentivizes locals to collect piles of pine needles that litter the state’s forest floor. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami even recorded himself scraping up pine needles to promote the program.

“Under the campaign ‘Pirul Lao-Paise Pao,’ a large number of people are collecting pine needles and selling it to the government at the rate of ₹ 50/kg,” (about 60¢ USD per 2.2 lbs.) Dhami said. “At present, due to this campaign, the incidents of forest fire have reduced significantly and the villagers living near the forest area are also earning income.”

In May, the Uttarakhand government suspended 10 frontline Forest Department employees as nearly 1,350 hectares (3,336 acres) of Himalayan hills remained burning for nearly a month. The decision to suspend the forest guards and foresters followed an emergency meeting of senior government officials with Chief Minister Dhami. He postponed his scheduled engagements to chair the meeting with the Forest Department officials.

“Ten employees have been suspended in different areas,” he said, “five were attached to the forest headquarters and two were issued showcause notices for dereliction of duty leading to massive fire incidents since April 1.”


Trivendra Singh Rawat was the first Chief Minister in the state to start a pine needle collection program by linking it to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) after coming to power in 2017, according to the Statesman.

“Around 25 lakh (~2.5 million) metric tonnes of pine needles are produced annually in the state,” Rawat said. Researchers at India’s  Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering found that pine needles, if heated with an absence of oxygen through pyrolysis, could be converted into a bio-oil and used in blended fuels. Rawat estimates that volume of pine needles could generate nearly 200 MW of power.

Experts, however, say the state’s narrative focus on pine needles as the cause of wildfires misses the mark because pine duff is an easy scapegoat for government officials to focus on rather than the more systemic issues of inadequate forest staff, drought, and a widespread absence of fire breaks.

“One could argue this campaign was the government’s attempt to pivot the blame away from grim ground realities and solely toward these aged pine trees,” Joshi wrote. He said, instead of addressing all these issues together, the Uttarakhand government’s decision to “villainize” one species is a myopic strategy and will prove to be detrimental in the long term. Pine is just one conifer standing among many other species on the Himalayan slopes. Focusing solely on pine shows the government’s misunderstanding of the larger Himalayan ecosystem and is leading to unsustainable solutions to the forest fire issue.

Pine trees have made up an integral part of India’s mountain forest cover since the Himalayas first formed. Collection of pine needles alone won’t be enough to control forest fires, experts told Joshi. Instead, the state should create a more holistic approach that addresses the human causes of forest fires.

Read the full article here.

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