SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A new study finds that climate change-fueled wildfires in Canada may actually have a positive effect on global warming in coming decades.
The study led by University of Washington researchers finds that smoke from increasing fires in Canada and Siberia will reduce warming by 12% globally over the next 35 years. The effect would be even more dramatic in the Arctic where warming would be reduced as much as 38%.
That’s because aerosols in smoke from the fires make clouds more reflective of the sun’s rays, leading to cooler temperatures and reduced sea ice loss.
Previous models didn’t find the reduction in warming because they assumed the amount of fire would remain constant at a much lower level.
The study’s authors note that the fires produce negative impacts to human health and forest diversity.
The effect could also reverse if the fires begin to run out of fuel. But they say their new model should be taken into account when creating future global warming studies and models.
