• nyan@lemmy.cafe
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    1 year ago

    Except that you can’t really say that for certain from the map, either—if all the areas that burned over in 2023 also burned over in 1923, I don’t think you would be able to tell. There’s no method for indicating that the same area was burned over twice in different years.

    (Note: I am not saying that 2023 was not the worst fire year on record for Canada. I am picking holes in this presentation of the information because climate change denialists will do exactly the same thing, given half a chance. Let’s create better infographics and not give them an opening.)

    • OminousOrange
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      1 year ago

      That statement is based on the article rather than the graph itself.

      While past active fire seasons have seen more individual fires — 1989 still holds the record with 10,998 fires — 2023 is notable for the total area burned. The previous record was set in 1995 with 7.1 million hectares burned; so far in 2023, a total of 13.9 million hectares has been burned.