Arctic connected | Wildfires are devastating the Arctic

Wildfires triggered by natural causes such as lightning, or by human activity, are raging across the Arctic at rates never seen before. While wildfires have always been a natural part of Arctic boreal forest and tundra ecosystems—some pine trees even rely on the heat from these fires to open their cones and disperse seeds—rising temperatures have increased their frequency and scale. In fact, northern forests are experiencing larger fires than in mid-latitudes further south.

Boreal forests in northern Canada, Alaska and Russia provide an important carbon sink. Their deciduous trees and conifers absorb carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming and climate change. But this function is being undermined as wildfires sweep across through parts of the Arctic such as Alaska and Siberia.

Wildfires are contributing to the climate crisis

In the summer of 2022, more than 12,000 square kilometers across Alaska were destroyed by wildfires—that’s roughly triple the annual average. The year before, more than 165,000 square kilometres of Siberian forest was destroyed, an area roughly twice the size of Austria. And in 2018, fires burned 810 square kilometers of critical reindeer pasture in Sweden.

These fires are being fueled by extreme weather events like droughts, heatwaves, and lightning strikes—all of which are a direct result of climate change.  But “zombie fires” are also on the rise in parts of Alaska and Canada. These are fires that come back to life and reignite in the spring when the weather warms up, after sitting dormant for eight or nine months in wet, sub-zero weather. By 2050, it is estimated that wildfires in the Arctic and around the world could increase by one third.

Because wildfires combust organic soil and biomass, they also release huge quantities of carbon. In 2021, Arctic wildfires accounted for a third of the worldwide wildfire CO2 emissions. In addition to releasing CO2, wildfires emit methane and black carbon as well as smoke and soot that affects air quality and pollution levels, which negatively affects the health of local communities.

A bigger problem hiding beneath the surface

More than 66 per cent of Arctic settlements are built on permafrost, ground that has remained below zero degrees Celsius for at least two years. Over thousands of years, dead plants and animals have accumulated in these permanently frozen soils and sediments creating 1035 gigatonnes of carbon. According to the Special Report on the Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, many parts of the Arctic are experiencing record high temperatures in permafrost due to the climate crisis, which is contributing to permafrost thaw.

Permafrost thaw generally occurs gradually, but disturbances like wildfires can also trigger and accelerate it. These fires destroy the soil’s insulating layer, which can  cause microbes in the permafrost to come out of hibernation and break down organic carbon in the soil, releasing CO2 and methane. Once large-scale thawing of Arctic permafrost is triggered, carbon release could be unstoppable and irreversible.

The increase in carbon emissions caused by permafrost thaw—occurring because of the climate crisis and being exacerbated by wildfires—has been disregarded in climate models. But it is a clear threat to keeping global carbon budgets within the Paris Climate Agreement’s 1.5 degree goal.

It is time to find ways to fix the problem

In the Arctic, wildfires are threatening the habitats of ecologically important species such as caribou, and reindeer. Other impacts include risks to life and property, economic costs, health effects, and public anxiety and stress. And many ecosystems and communities are already struggling.

If we do not take immediate action to address the climate crisis by reducing carbon emissions we will continue to witness more extreme wildfires and weather events around the world. Governments and institutions must both agree to stop global warming and take steps to protect infrastructure and human life from wildfires. We must also work together to overcome challenges in securing the funding, skills, and institutional support needed to engage in the planning for a new Arctic.

In order to lessen the impacts of wildfires and extreme weather events, it is time to close the gap between talk and action—and put a stop to global warming and reverse nature loss by 2030. Only by taking urgent action now we will be able to reduce the risks.