By uprooting carbon trapped in soil, wild pigs are releasing around 4.9 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually across the globe. Photo: File / Getty ImagesCanterbury University researchers have found that wild pigs are releasing the equivalent of 1.1 million cars in carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. The researchers used predictive population models, coupled with advanced mapping techniques to pinpoint the climate damage wild pigs are causing across five continents. Using existing models on wild pig numbers and locations, the team simulated 10,000 maps of potential global wild pig density. The researchers then simulated the global carbon emissions from wild pig soil damage based on previous research in the Americas, Europe, and China.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 19, 2021 21:11 UTC