
California wildfires sped up climate change as much as a whole year of power use - howard941
https://qz.com/1483729/california-fires-released-emissions-equal-to-a-year-of-power-use/
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dvvss
Wildfires release carbon that is already an active part of the carbon cycle.
Undoubtedly there will be an impact to climate, but typically overall
atmospheric carbon will stabilize in a relatively short period of time after a
wildfire (as the land is reforested). Carbon from fossil fuels, on the other
hand, is not an active part of the carbon cycle. It is net-new carbon. Carbon
dumps from wildfires do impact climate, but it is qualitatively different than
carbon dug up from under the earth which adds the overall amount of carbon in
the cycle.

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Fjolsvith
If the climate/environment can absorb a year's worth of carbon dumping in a
relatively short time, it seems to me that the source wouldn't matter and the
system would balance.

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carlmr
It's not that the source doesn't matter, but the forest fire creates a big
sink in terms of a forest that can regrow.

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tomatotomato37
This title is a bit misleading. Is there any chance we could get "in
California" added to the end or is it already at the max char count?

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lmilcin
Also, can we mention the fire left space for new growth that in time will
reclaim same amount of carbon from atmosphere that was emitted during fire
(unless Califirnia becomes desert).

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b_tterc_p
Is regrow the likely? I recall learning that due to a human enforced lack of
wildfires, the ones that break out nowadays burn so hot that the soil itself
burns.

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lmilcin
I grew on a farm. We would burn stuff we didn't want (like hay that went bad,
etc) in piles that would burn for many, many hours. The soil underneath is
intact, there is so much mass behind it that it may get hot but never so much
that it would decompose.

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morkfromork
I saw a lot of stories about the smoke blocking the sun and cooling the
climate such as: [https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Smoke-from-
Californi...](https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Smoke-from-California-
fires-is-so-bad-that-it-s-13395205.php)

goos news/bad news?

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IMcD23
The smoke blocked out the sun during the fire, so the temperature was
temporarily lower.

