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Environment

Wildfires across Canada have emitted record-breaking amounts of carbon

Carbon emissions from wildfires in Canada were the highest ever recorded in May, highlighting the growing risk of blazes earlier in the year

By Alec Luhn

2 June 2023

Smoke from a wildfire rises over houses in Bedford, Canada

REUTERS/Eric Martyn

Wildfires in Canada emitted record amounts of carbon in May, showing how the risk of blazes is increasing even before the summer fire season begins.

Emissions for the month reached 54.8 million tonnes, more than double the carbon emitted by wildfires in any May since estimates began in 2003, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. In the boreal forests of western Canada, provincial records were set in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan, which exceeded its previous high by …

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