More broadly, according to a study published last August, fires now destroy an average of three million hectares a year – an area the size of Belgium. This is twice as much as at the beginning of the century. Fires devastating primarily the boreal forest in Canada, but also in Russia and Alaska, with that area consuming more than 70% of the area in 20 years. One of the worst years on record comes in 2021, when 9.3 million hectares went up in smoke. The year 2023 could prove just as dramatic as major fires have also devastated Russia’s boreal forest in recent weeks.
These areas of northern Earth and the Arctic are warming much faster than the rest of the planet. Canada — which is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world and up to three times faster for the Arctic region — has faced extreme weather events in recent years, from heat domes to winter storms, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to climate change of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities.
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