Between 1984 and now, the lake area in the world increased by 46,000 square kilometers. The newer lakes emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the older lakes. The smaller, newer lakes are only 15% of the total global lake area, yet they emit 25% carbon dioxide and 37% methane from the total global lake emission.
Photo by: https://www.pexels.com/photo/scenic-view-of-lake-in-forest-247600/