Wildfires, permafrost melt in Canada causing even more climate change, new study shows
A new study published in Environmental Research Letters warns that climate feedback loops, such as wildfires and permafrost thaw, are accelerating global warming faster than current models predict. These natural emissions could increase projected warming by 20 to 30 percent, potentially shrinking the remaining global carbon budget.
Why it matters
This research suggests that current climate policy targets may be insufficient because they fail to account for the self-reinforcing nature of warming-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
Now, a new study is detailing how the fires, permafrost thaw and other changes are adding even more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and speeding up climate change at a scale not currently reflected in global estimates.
These climate "feedback loops," where climate change triggers more carbon emissions that in turn feed into even more climate change, could add 20 to 30 per cent more warming over current estimates for this century, according to a new study by researchers at U.S. institutions, including Stanford University and the non-profits Environmental Defense Fund and Spark Climate Solutions.
"Our remaining carbon budget is most likely ... much smaller than what we think it is," said Ben Poulter, program director with Spark Climate Solutions and co-author of the paper.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in