Arctic wildfires emitted as much CO2 in June as Sweden does in a year

Wildfires this year have been at an unusual intensity despite being common in the northern hemisphere between May and October

Arctic wildfires, some the size of 100,000 football pitches, emitted as much carbon dioxide (CO₂) last month as the country of Sweden does in a whole year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.

"Since the start of June we've seen unprecedented wildfires in the Arctic region," a WMO spokeswoman, Clare Nullis, told a regular UN briefing in Geneva.