29 July
An unusually large number of wildfires have been reported in Arctic regions of the United States and Russia in the past two months.
Almost 400 wildfires have reportedly broken out in the US state of Alaska this year, scorching about 330,000 hectares of forest.
Russian officials have not been able to prevent wildfires from spreading in Siberia. Villages near the fire sites have been enveloped in smoke.
The Russian government is being widely criticized on social media for its failure to stop the fires. Critics are using "Protect the Siberian forests" as a hashtag.
The average temperature in Alaska for June was the second highest since record-keeping began in 1925.
The average temperature in Siberia for the same month was nearly 10 degrees higher than in the 30-year period until 2010.
Experts say the record heat brought by climate change is creating the ideal conditions for wildfires.
The UN weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization, says the fires in the Arctic Circle in June emitted 50 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere -- the equivalent of Sweden's annual emissions.
NHK
