From President Donald J. Trump:
California’s record-breaking wildfire season in 2020 essentially nullified nearly two decades’ worth of greenhouse gas emission reductions, according to a new study.
The record-breaking wildfire season, which resulted in more than 4 million acres burned, emitted twice as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as the state’s total reductions over 18 years, a new study published in the journal of Environmental Pollution.
“Wildfire emissions in 2020 essentially negate 18 years of reductions in GHG emissions from other sectors,” the study’s authors concluded.
The study highlights that between 2003 and 2019, California’s greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 13%, “largely driven by reductions from the electric power generation sector.” But the 2020 fire season alone is “two times higher than California’s total GHG emissions reductions,” researchers found.
Researchers also discovered that wildfire greenhouse gas emissions are the second “most important source in the state” after transportation and one that “appears likely to grow with future climate change.” Between 2000 and 2019, the California Air Resources Board that 41% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory was from transportation.
Read the full article from Just the News here.
