Canada’s 2023 Wildfires Spewed More CO2 Than Most Countries

Current conditions: Thousands of dead fish are stinking up the port of Volos in Greece • At least 24 people are missing after flash floods hit Yemen • More than 4 million people are under evacuation orders in Japan because of Typhoon Shanshan.

THE TOP FIVE

1. New research shows just how extreme Canada’s 2023 wildfires were

The wildfires that raged through Canada’s boreal forests last year released as much carbon dioxide over just five months as a large country might throughout an entire year, according to new research published in the journal Nature. Just China, the U.S., and India emitted more CO2 than the fires.

NATURE

Canada is warming at about twice the global rate, and the average temperature during fire season last year was about 4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal. The heat is triggering “flash droughts,” where the ground dries out quickly and large areas of forest become easy kindling. Extreme fire events like those in 2023 are likely to become more common as the planet warms. Because forests absorb about 25% of the world’s carbon emissions, the research suggests the world may need to reconsider how the carbon budget is calculated.

2. Last Energy raises $40 million for small, modular nuclear reactors

Last Energy, a D.C.-based company making miniature, modularized nuclear reactors, announced today its $40 million series B round, led by the Austin-based venture capital firm Gigafund. CEO and founder Bret Kugelmass told Heatmap’s Katie Brigham that the company already has commercial agreements for 80 units, all in Europe, and that nearly half of these will be deployed at data centers. The company has reached the permitting stage for some of its European projects, with aims to deploy the first microreactor by 2026. There are currently no operational microreactors anywhere in the Western world, though other companies, including Radiant, Westinghouse, and BWX Technologies are also trying to build one. Last Energy’s investors are betting, however, that it could be one of the first to market.

3. China wary of ‘peak emissions’ speculation

China’s energy officials are pouring cold water on the hot speculation that the country has reached peak carbon emissions, saying today that “great efforts are still needed to achieve the goals of peak carbon and carbon neutrality.” Song Wen, director of China’s National Energy Administration’s law and institutional reform department, cautioned that the country’s domestic energy demand is still growing and “the outlook is uncertain.”

4. Researchers say climate change made deadly Typhoon Gaemi worse

A cyclone is gaining strength off the coasts of India and Pakistan in the Arabian Sea, forcing thousands to evacuate before the storm is expected to hit on Friday. Heavy rains are already bringing flooding to some of India’s western states. As a reminder, cyclones are the umbrella term for “intense rotating storm systems” that originate over warm tropical waters. Hurricanes and typhoons are also cyclones but have different regional names.

NOAA

Scientists say climate change is making tropical storms more intense. New research from the World Weather Attribution found that Typhoon Gaemi, which hit the Philippines, Taiwan, and China last month and killed 90 people, was made worse by warmer sea temperatures, and that typhoons are 30% more likely now than during the pre-industrial era. “With global temperatures rising, we are already witnessing an increase in these ocean temperatures, and as a result, more powerful fuel is being made available for these tropical cyclones, increasing their intensity,” said Nadia Bloemendaal, a researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. So far, the Atlantic hurricane season has been somewhat quiet, but forecasters warn activity will likely ramp up in September.

5. Orsted to shutter its last remaining coal-fired power plant

Orsted announced today that it will shut down its last coal-fired heat and power plant this Saturday. The Esbjerg Power Station in Denmark consumes 500,000 metric tons of coal each year, equivalent to roughly 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the company said. “We’re well on track to becoming the first major energy company to completely transform its energy production from fossil fuels to renewable energy,” said Ole Thomsen, senior vice president and head of Orsted’s bioenergy business. According to Reuters, 85% of Orsted’s heat and power production came from fossil fuels as recently as 2008.

THE KICKER

This week the Oakland Unified School District in California became the first major school district in America to transition to 100% electric school buses.

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