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The world lost three Central Park forests to wildfires every hour last year

Last year, wildfires ravaged forestsaround the world, razing lush landscapes and displacing both people and wildlife.

Approximately 36,000 square miles of forest will be lost to fire worldwide in 2021, according to a new analysis. That's about three times as much as New York City's Central Park in an hour.

This is the second fastest rate of forest loss to fire in the last 20 years,and a new wave of havoc the climate crisisis wreaking on ecosystems and livelihoods. It's a sign.

New data from Global Forest Watch show the extent of wildfire damagelast year. - World Resources Institute (WRI), which compiles Global Forest Watch data.

However, fires have occurred in many different types of forests, from tropical rainforests to mountainous regions, with the boreal forests being one ofAlaska, Canada andRussia. Arctic forest characteristic of the province — was the clear leader. Over 25,000 square miles of boreal forest burned last year. This is the highest amount in at least the last 20 years.

Most of that loss, 20,000 square miles, was in Russia. Parts of Siberia experienced heavy fires last summer. The WRI points to this in part as a result of intense heatwaves in the region made possible by rising temperatures on the planet.

Parts of the boreal forest are burning again this year, with major fires recorded in Russia and Alaska. Alaska is indeed experiencing one of the worst fire seasons inyears, burning millions of acres.

These fires are not only exacerbated by the climate crisis, they are also likely to contribute to further climate crises.

When wildfires burn, trees and soil release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, helping to further warm the planet. Boreal forest fires are of particular concern because soils store large amounts of carbon, creating a potentially dangerous feedback loop of warming, he notes.

In addition to the Arctic, fires have also destroyed forests in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. Notably, more than 4,200 square miles of his rainforest, three and a half times the size of Yosemite National Park, burned down last year.

Fires are a natural part of many landscapes and are often caused by lightning. Many ecosystems rely on fire to regularly clear dead trees and accumulated vegetation and to clear the way for new seeds to germinate.

Once the parameters were exceeded, the fire took on new ferocity. Rising temperatures and more severe droughts are both fueling a hotter world, which can lead to more intense fires and sometimes devastating consequences.

People can also start wildfires, some of which can spread out of control when they hit drier terrain. In the tropics, most fires are caused by humans and sometimes fleeing flames used to clear out areas that have already been deforested.

is a major concern for forest watchers in According to a United Nations report earlier this year, by 2050 the number of wildfires worldwide could increase by 30%. And all these fires have serious consequences.

Fires can not only exacerbate the very same climate crisis that drives them, but also destroy communities and ecosystems. Wildfire smoke is a significant public health risk, exacerbating medical problems such as respiratory disease.

And after the fires subside, the remaining landscape becomes highly susceptible to erosion and flooding, increasing the risk of landslides and even causing water pollution as sediment flows into watersheds. .