In January and February, extensive wildfires in Texas emitted 920,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, marking the second-highest release for that period ever on record.
According to data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, Texas wildfires produced 120,000 tons of carbon emissions in January.
February witnessed increased fire activity, notably with the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest fire ever recorded in the state.
These fires and others throughout Texas emitted approximately 800,000 tons of carbon emissions in February alone, accounting for roughly 28% of carbon emissions from fires across the United States.
When analyzing carbon emissions linked to Texas fires over the last twenty years, the extent of Copernicus’s satellite data, 2024 comes second only to 2008.
In 2008, nearly 1.2 million tons of carbon were released in the year’s first two months.
These calculations do not factor in emissions from fires burning in the first half of March, as persistent dry and windy conditions have made it difficult to contain the fires fully.
Researchers made the calculation using the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service’s Global Fire Assimilation System, which “provides up-to-date information on the location, intensity, and emissions of wildfires, vegetation fires, and open burning around the world,” said Luis Carlos Palomino Forero, who works with the agency’s communications office.
