Most of the world is aware of the many lives lost to the bushfires of Australia, however now another side to this disaster has been unveiled.

Because the forests being destroyed are more carbon-rich, as their composition is made up of eucalypt forest, this coupled with the sheer size of the area being consumed by the fires has led to predictions that the carbon emissions could surpass previous fires by far. The carbon emitted so far is already almost equal to the total annual industrial emissions of the whole of Australia put together.

In addition to this, Professor Mark Adams of the University of Sydney has said that due to the amount of carbon that has been released by the bushfires, carbon capture and planting of new forest would not be able to offset these emissions alone.

Professor Adams went on to say that it is imperative that more research into the nature of bushfires and their carbon impact is conducted. He argued that it is even more important to find a technological solution to the problem of emissions from bushfires than studying methods of carbon capture from coal-fired power stations.

To read more on this issue, visit The Australian or The Guardian.