Wildfires have burned over one million hectares of land across European Union countries this year, marking 2025 as the most severe year on record. Data indicates that unprecedented levels of CO2 and other pollutants have been released into the atmosphere, surpassing previous records a month ahead of the usual fire season end. The extent of the devastation has led to villages being evacuated and farmers being forced to fight the fires, with the land engulfed being four times the average over the past two decades.
The European Forest Fire Information System (Effis) reported that 1,015,024 hectares have been scorched this year, exceeding the previous record set in 2017. The fires have emitted 37 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of countries like Portugal or Sweden. Additionally, these fires have set records for the release of nine other air pollutants, including PM2.5 particles, which experts believe heighten the danger of wildfires significantly.
Experts, like Cristina Santín Nuño from the Spanish National Research Council, attribute the increase in severe wildfires to climate change and land use practices. The scorching temperatures caused by a recent heatwave in southern Europe have fueled the spread of wildfires, resulting in casualties and widespread destruction. A study in the Lancet linked wildfire smoke to 111,000 deaths annually in Europe between 2000 and 2019.
Efforts to monitor the situation have revealed that Spain’s wildfire emissions this year are the highest on record. Smoke from fires in the Iberian peninsula has worsened air quality locally and in neighboring regions like France. While fire weather conditions are expected to improve in southern Europe, anomalies are anticipated to persist in north-western Europe.
Santín Nuño emphasized that while catastrophic wildfire seasons may not occur every year, the likelihood of breaking records is increasing annually. She warned that the record set in 2025 is likely to be surpassed in the coming years, emphasizing the importance of adapting to this new reality and enhancing resilience against wildfires.
