Natural Pollution

In one week, Southern California's wildfires spewed the same amount of carbon dioxide as the state's power plants and vehicles did, according to scientists.

A new study by two Colorado researchers shows that U.S. wildfires pump a significant amount of the greenhouse gas into the air each year -- in fact, more than the state of Pennsylvania does. The California wildfires occurred just as the study was about to be published, and the researchers calculated how much carbon dioxide was likely to come from the devastating week long October blazes.

Try 8.7 million tons - more than the state of Vermont produces in a year.

On average, wildfires in the United States each year pump 322 million tons of carbon dioxide. That's only about 5% of what the country emits by burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and coal by comparison, but still significant. In previous studies, scientists have shown that a general increase in American wildfires — but no one event — is linked to global warming.

The scientists used satellite imagery, computer models and combustion rates to determine how much carbon dioxide is released during a fire, and estimated that for every acre burned, the emissions were equivalent to two cars driven for a year.

Dear Earth, thanks for fucking yourself up more and helping us along with the process.