Study says wildfires and permafrost thaw may intensify climate change

A new study says climatedriven emissions from wildfires, thawing permafrost, and wetlands could make global warming worse than current models estimate. The research suggests these feedback loops may add 20% to 30% more warming this century than is reflected in many climate projections. The paper, published in Environmental Research Letters, was led by researchers at U.S. institutions including Stanford University, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Spark Climate Solutions. It argues that current climate models largely track humancaused emissions, but do not fully capture warminginduced emissions from ecosystems. Canada is expected to be especially affected because it contains large areas of permafrost and wetlands and has already been warming faster than the global average. Scientists cited in the study say more field monitoring is needed to better measure carbon and methane released as northern landscapes change.