The study analyzed the climate effects of the 88 most polluting fossil fuel and cement producing companies.
According to a recent American study, the companies that cause the most carbon dioxide and methane emissions are responsible for more than a third of the wildfires in western North America in the last 40 years.
In Environmental Research Letters research to be published (you switch to another service) investigated the environmental impacts of 88 of the largest companies producing fossil fuels and cement.
Over the years, wildfires have become more intense, larger and longer lasting, one of the researchers, Christina Dahlsaid the news agency to AFP.
What makes the study interesting is that it is the first time that researchers have shown a direct connection between wildfires and large pollutants.
The costs of the wildfires have been paid from tax funds, but the researchers hope for a wider discussion about this.
– We wanted to highlight the role of large companies so that they too could be required to contribute to the costs, Dahl said.
According to Dahl, citizens affected by wildfires can more easily file lawsuits against companies when they have scientific research to back them up.
Companies are also responsible for global warming
The researchers modeled the role of 88 major pollutants in climate change. According to them, these companies alone have caused a 0.5 degree rise in global temperature. This corresponds to about half of the observed temperature increase.
Dahl hopes that the research will also spark a discussion about how we combat climate change.
– Big companies have created a narrative that the most important thing is to reduce the citizens’ carbon footprint, he said and emphasized that, in fact, it is companies that play a significant role in climate change.