Unprecedented Wildfire Surge Threatens Tropical Peatlands, World’s Vital Carbon Sinks

Globally significant tropical peatlands, which act as immense underground reservoirs of carbon, are now experiencing wildfires at a rate unparalleled in the last two millennia. Through meticulous analysis of charcoal samples embedded in peat deposits from various continents, researchers have uncovered evidence that fire activity had, in fact, been diminishing for over a thousand years. This historical decline was primarily influenced by natural climatic cycles, such as periods of drought. However, this long-standing trend abruptly shifted course in the 20th century. The past hundred years have witnessed a dramatic escalation in wildfire incidents, particularly concentrated in the regions of Southeast Asia and Australasia.