Energy and Environment Wildfires in Arctic Circle continue in Siberia Written by Riley DeBaecke July 13, 2020February 6, 2023 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked What to know Over 332 active fires are burning over 1.6 million hectares of land in SiberiaParts of the Arctic Circle have been burning since July 2019These wildfires originated from a combination of natural causes including temperatures reaching 30 ℃, wind, and dry thunderstormsThe cost-benefit ratio of saving these ecosystems indicates that Siberia should let the wildfires burn until rain comes because most of them are not directly endangering civilizationThese fires are so humongous their smoke blew across the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea to reach Oregon, Alaska, and Canada Key Takeaway Wildfires are destroying valuable ecosystems in the Arctic CircleHigh temperatures melted the permafrost early, releasing the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trapped underneath and contributing to climate changeTemperatures in the Arctic Circle reached record highs within the past six months, only exacerbating the firesHuman-caused climate change intensified these fires in a variety of waysWe must act on climate change before other extreme weather events begin to seriously affect a greater number of humans Dig deeper → 2 min