Europe is facing one of its most severe wildfire seasons on record, with carbon emissions from fires reaching unprecedented levels this summer. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), more than 292,855 hectares of land across EU countries had burned by Tuesday (29 July). This is double the area affected during the same period last year.
The number of large fires reached 1,339, and wildfire emissions set new annual records in countries such as Greece, Turkey, the UK, and Cyprus. In the United Kingdom, emissions from wildfires have already reached 0.35 megatons of CO₂, the highest annual total since records began. Meanwhile Cyprus saw its highest single-day emissions on 23 July, following widespread fires earlier in the month.
The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires are closely linked to long-term shifts in climate patterns. High temperatures, low precipitation, and extended dry seasons have created conditions favourable to large-scale fires across the continent. Scientists note that Europe’s wildfire season now begins earlier and lasts longer than in previous decades. The World Meteorological Organisation confirms that two-thirds of Europe’s most extreme heatwaves since 1950 occurred after 2000, highlighting the accelerating impact of climate change.
Experts warn that countries must shift from crisis response to prevention. Improved forest management, better coordination between firefighting agencies, urban-wildland planning, and early warning systems are urgently needed. Warmer, drier summers are now the norm in southern and central Europe, and without investment in adaptation, wildfire seasons are likely to worsen annually.
Source: commonspace.eu with Euronews and other agencies.
