Wildfires in the Arctic in June have already released the third highest carbon emissions for this period in the last 20 years, according to Copernicus.

Extensive wildfires in vegetated areas devastated parts of the Arctic, particularly in Russia, during June, recording some of the highest CO2 emissions in the last 20 years, announced the European Copernicus service today.

“Since June, CO2 emissions from wildfires in the Arctic are already the third highest in the last 20 years for this period, following the major wildfire seasons of 2019 and 2020,” stated the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).

According to the data recorded up to June 26, the current month has already accumulated emissions of 6.8 million tons of CO2, compared to 16.3 million in June 2020 and 13.8 million in 2019.

The areas most affected by the wildfires are currently in the Sakha Republic in the Russian Far North, which already suffered significant damage in 2021, emphasizes Copernicus.

“The Arctic is at the forefront of climate change, and the increasing number of wildfires in Siberia is a clear warning that this critical system may be approaching dangerous tipping points,” noted Gail Whiteman, a professor at the University of Exeter and founder of the Arctic Basecamp expert group.

“What happens in the Arctic does not stay there – changes there amplify global risks for all of us,” she warned.

The Arctic is affected by a phenomenon known as “Arctic amplification,” which causes this region to warm faster than mid-latitudes, four times more than the global average according to a landmark study.

Wildfires tend to peak in the northern hemisphere in July and August.

The Russian state news agency TASS cited Andrey Konoplev, the Deputy Minister of Ecology, Nature Management, and Forestry of Sakha, who emphasized that more than 160 wildfires in the Sakha Republic burned nearly 460,000 hectares by June 24.