Climate-Driven Wildfires Could Reshape Global Emissions Accounting: UN Expert
The growing impact of climate-driven wildfires is forcing a rethink in how greenhouse gas inventories calculate emissions, says Minal Pathak, an associate professor at Ahmedabad University and co-author of the United Nations Emissions Gap Report. For the first time, the 2024 report has included wildfire emissions, highlighting the complexities of accounting for these fires in global climate data.
Pathak explains that wildfires are categorized as either natural or anthropogenic, with the latter resulting from activities like agricultural burning. While CO₂ from fires is often considered carbon neutral since forests can regrow and reabsorb emissions climate change is altering this balance, making it harder to predict how forests recover and store carbon.
Recent wildfires in Los Angeles...
