2025 Sees Record-Breaking Wildfires Across Europe
Europe faces devastating wildfires as over 1 million hectares have burned since the start of the year, marking 2025 as the worst season for wildfires on record, reports 24brussels.
In Greece, Apostolos Voulgarakis, chair of the wildfires and climate department at the Technical University of Crete, noted, “It’s been the third consecutive summer where we’re seeing a catastrophic fire season.” While the number of fires hasn’t significantly increased, those that do ignite are larger and the fire season extends longer.
Bikem Ekberzade, a researcher at the Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences at Istanbul Technical University, explained, “When vegetation is dry and winds are high, a single ignition, regardless of its source, can rapidly turn into a hard-to-control wildfire.” She expressed concern that in a warming world, “more severe and fatal fires could soon become the norm.”
The impact of these wildfires goes beyond immediate destruction; they also contribute to increased planet-warming emissions. Current estimates suggest that 38.4 million metric tons of CO2 have been released into the atmosphere this year alone, equivalent to the annual emissions of a country like Slovakia, exacerbating climate change.
The study highlights that ongoing heatwaves and severe drought conditions have intensified dry weather across much of southeastern Europe. These factors, combined with strong winds, have fueled more intense wildfires that are increasingly difficult to control.
