Kane Stone News Today

This story is the second in a three-part mini-series surveying the range of impacts by the fossil fuel industry on the global environment. Part one and part two review harm done to the nine planetary boundaries, while part three looks at circular economy solutions. In 2020, the worst drought in 40 years hit East Africa, […]

Smoke aerosols from large wildfires are the perfect reaction surface for chlorine chemicals, speeding their transformation from ozone-friendly forms to reactive ones.

The smoke triggered by the wildfires went to heights of upto 30 kilometres, where the smoke triggered chemical reactions harming atmospheric ozone.

In another unexpected outcome of the climate crisis, wildfire smoke may be putting the recovery of the ozone layer at risk. A new study from MIT chemists found that the devastating Australian wildfires of 2019 and 2020 contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer. The research is the first to find a chemical connection between smoke from wildfires and ozone depletion.

Atmospheric chemists at MIT have found that the smoke from Australia’s “Black Summer” wildfires set off chemical reactions in the stratosphere that contributed to the destruction of ozone. The study is the first to establish a chemical link between wildfire smoke and ozone depletion.

The Australian wildfires in 2019 and 2020 were historic for how far and fast they spread, and for how long and powerfully they burned. All told, the devastating "Black Summer" fires blazed across more than 43 million acres of land, and extinguished or displaced nearly 3 billion animals.

If wildfires become larger and more frequent, they might stall ozone recovery for years, study suggests.

The Australian wildfires in 2019 and 2020 were historic for how far and fast they spread, and for how long and powerfully they burned. All told, the