Summer is drawing to a close and Europe is still burning. 2025 marks the worst wildfire season in the history of the European Union, with more than one million hectares burned since January. Most of the damage occurred during the month of August, particularly in Spain and Portugal, where heat waves and drought have been especially devastating. To date, both nations are still struggling to control large-scale fires.
The rest of the continent is not far behind, with fires devastating large areas of Italy, Greece, France, and Romania. Several people have been killed, with many more injured and displaced. This also means that a massive amount of carbon dioxide has been released into the atmosphere, fueling the vicious cycle of CO2 emissions, rising global temperatures, forest vulnerability, and wildfires.
This incendiary summer provides yet another demonstration of our rapidly warming climate. And while wildfire season is usually concentrated around the summer months, it is set to lengthen as the climate heats up.
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