Wildfire intensity rises across northern hemisphere (FT)

Wildfires burning across the northern hemisphere in parts of Canada, Russia and the US since the start of the summer have led to a surge in carbon dioxide emissions and smoke trail as their intensity rises. Scientists at international agencies have been tracking emissions and monitoring a significant increase in daily total fire radiative power, which indicates the intensity of the fires. Western Canada is enduring an “extreme fire year”, said the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (Cams), with estimated emissions at levels comparable with the previous highest years of the past two decades, only surpassed by the record set in 2023.

https://www.ft.com/content/8a63bec7-048c-40fb-b3ae-717419f4469f

Author: Christopher K. Merker, Ph.D., CFA

Christopher K. Merker, PhD, CFA, is a director with Private Asset Management at Robert W. Baird & Co. He holds a PhD in investment governance and fiduciary effectiveness from Marquette University, where he has taught the course “Sustainable Finance” since 2009. Executive director of Fund Governance Analytics (FGA), an ESG research partnership with Marquette University, he is a member of the CFA Institute ESG Working Group, an international committee currently exploring ESG standards, publishes the blog, Sustainable Finance, which covers current topics around governance and sustainability in investing, and is co-author of the book, The Trustee Governance Guide: The Five Imperatives of 21st Century Investing.