Study: Wildfires release more greenhouse gases than thought
By Jenna Iacurci, Nature World News
It turns out that California wildfires release more greenhouse gases than previously thought, according to new research.
According to the study, from 2001-10, annual carbon losses from forests and wildlands in California represented as much as 5-7 percent of state carbon emissions.
Interestingly, the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act, or AB 32, says that by the year 2020 California has to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels. But these findings, published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, suggest that goal may be easier said than done.